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the

Same Author.

WHERE

BLACK

RULES

WHITE

HAYTI

THROUGH

THE

HEART

OF

PATA-

GONIA

HUNTING CAMPS

IN

WOOD

AND

WILDERNESS

THROUGH

TRACKLESS

LABRADOR



/Vow

i

ilrawing

by]

The

Sniper-Observer.-Scoiat,

[Ernest

Blaikley.

[i'rontispiece.



SNIPING IN FRANCE

With

Notes

on

the

Scientific

Training

of

Scouts,

Observers,

and

Snipers

BY

MAJOR

H.

HESKETH-PRICHARD

D.S.O.,

M.C.

WITH

A

FOREWORD

BY

GENERAL

LORD HORNE

OF

STIRKOKE

G.C.B.,

K.C.M.G.,

etc.

Illustrations

by

ERNEST

BLAIKLEY,

Artists'

Rifles,

late

Sergeant-Instructor

at the Fii-st

Army

School

of

S.O.S.,

the late

Lijut. B.

Head,

The

Hertfordshire Regt.,

and

from

Photographs.

LONDON:

HUTCHINSON

& CO.

PATERNOSTER

ROW

E.

C



FOREWORD

BY

GENERAL

LORD

HORNE,

G.C.B.

IT

may

fairly

be

claimed that when hostilities

ceased

on

November

nth,

1918,

we

had

outplayed

Germany

at all

points

of

the

game.

Perhaps

as a

nation

we

failed

in

imagination.

Possibly

Germany

was more

quick

to

initiate

new

methods of

warfare

or

to

adapt

her

existing

methods

to

meet

prevailing

conditions.

Certainly

we

were

slow to

adopt,

indeed,

our

souls

abhorred,

anything

unsportsmanlike.

Had

it

been

left

to

us,

Gas

would have

taken

no

part

in

the

Great

European

War.

But,

however

lacking

in

imagination,

however

slow

to realize

the

importance

of

novel

methods,

once we

were

convinced

of

their

necessity,

once

we

decided

to

adopt

them,

we

managed by

a combination

of

brains

and

energy,

pluck

and

endurance,

not

only

to

make

up

the lost

ground,

but

to take the

lead

in

the

race. In

proof

of

this

statement I

would

instance

Heavy

Field

Artillery,

High

Explosives,

Gas,

Work

in

the

Air, etc.,



FOREWORD

and

many

other

points

I could

mention in which

Germany

started

ahead

of

us,

including

Sniping,

Observation and

Scouting.

And

for

our

eventual

superiority

we owe

much

to

individuals,

men

who,

like

the

author

of

this

book,

Major

Hesketh-Prichard,

combined

expert

knowledge

with

untiring

energy,

men

who would

not be denied

and

could

not

recognize

defeat.

In

the

early days

of

1915,

in

command

of

the

2nd

Division,

I

well remember

the

ever-increasing

activity

of the

German

sniper

and

the

annoyance

of

our

officers

and men in

the

trenches.

I can

recall

the

acquisition

by

the

Guards'

Brigade,

then

in

the

Brickfields

of

Cuinchy

with

Lord

Cavan

as

Brigadier,

of

two

rifles

fitted

with

telescopic

sights

and

the

good

use

made

of

them. It

was

the

experience

of

1915

that

impressed

upon

us the

necessity

of

fighting

for

superiority

in

all

branches

of

trench

warfare,

amongst

which

sniping

held

an

important

position.

It

was

therefore a

great

satisfaction to

me

upon

my

arrival from

the

battlefields of

the

Somme

in

the

autumn

of

1916

to find

Major

Hesketh-Prichard's

School

firmly

established

in

the

First

Army

area,

thanks

in

a

great

measure to

the

support

and

encour-

agement

of

Lieut.

-General

Sir

Richard

Haking,

the

Commander of

the

Eleventh

Corps.

From

that time

onwards,

owing

chiefly

to

the

energy,

enthusiasm,

tact

and

personality

of

its

Com-



FOREWORD

mandant,

the

influence

of

the

Sniping,

Observation

and

Scouting

School

spread rapidly

throughout

the

British

Forces in

France. Of its

ups

and

downs,

of

its

troubles and

its

successes,

and

of

its

ultimate

triumph,

Major

Hesketh-Prichard

tells the

tale

with

modesty typical

of

the

man.

I

may

be

permitted

to

add

my

testimony

that in

each

phase

of

the

war,

not

only

in

the

trenches,

but

in

the

field,

we found

the

value of

the

trained

sniper,

observer

and

scout.

This

book

is

not

only

a

record of

a

successful

system

of

training,

valuable as

such

to

us

soldiers,

but

also

will

be

found to

be full

of interest

to

the

general

reader.



CONTENTS

CHAP.

I.

THE

GENESIS OF

SNIPING

....

II.

THE

SNIPER

IN THE TRENCHES

.

III.

EARLY

DAYS

WITH THE

XI.

CORPS

AND

FIRST

ARMY

......

IV.

THE

FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

OF

SCOUTING,

OBSERVATION

AND

SNIPING

.

V.

SOME SNIPING MEMORIES

....

VI.

AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES.

VII.

THE

CURRICULUM

AND

WORK

AT

FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

OF

S.O.S.

VIII.

WlLIBALD

THE HuN

.....

IX.

THE

CAT

X.

THE

TRAINING OF

THE

PORTUGUESE

.

XI.

THE

MODERN SCOUT

PAGE

I

25

56

71

94

114

144

164

176

184

191

APPENDICES

APPENDIX

A.

PROGRAMME

FOR

TRAINING

OBSERVERS.

. .

.

.211

APPENDIX

B. GENERAL

COURSE

AT

FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

OF

S.O.S. .

.

.

214

APPENDIX

C.

I.

CARE

OF

ARMS,

GROUPING

AND

RANGE

PRACTICES .

.

.

222

II. PATROLLING

AND

SCOUTING

.

232

III.

THE

STALKING

TELESCOPE

.

239

IV.

FRONT

LINE OBSERVATION

AND

REPORTS

.....

246

V.

SOME USES

OF

SCOUTS,

OBSERVERS

AND

SNIPERS

IN

ATTACK

AND

DEFENCE

AND

OPEN

WARFARE

.

253

VI.

THE ENFIELD

1914

PATTERN

SNIPER'S

RIFLE

. .

259



LIST

OF

ILLUSTRATIONS

The

Sniper-Observer-Scout

Frontispiece

The

Sniper's

End

Facing

p.

28

Examination of a

German

Prisoner

......

30

Outside the

Snipers'

Post.

Shut

the

loopholes.

I'm

coming

in

,,

38

Telescopic

Sights.

Nurse

your

Target.

i.

Not

yet.

2.

Now

.,

44

Spotting

the

Enemy

Sniper

.......

46

XI

Corps

Sniping

School. Imitation

German

Trench used

for

spotting

targets,

etc.

.......

64

Method

of

inserting

Loophole,

i.

Original

Section of

Parapet

;

2.

How

bags

are

arranged

and

fixed

round

loophole

to

imitate

original

parapet

(Gray's

Boards.)

;

3.

Parapet

reconstructed

with

loophole

64

XI

Corps

Sniping

School.

Showing

the best

form

of

parapet

to

conceal

loopholes,

and

the

wrong

type

of

parapet

for

concealing

snipers'

loopholes

.......

66

Section

of

typical

German

Parapet.

Showing

concealed

loopholes

made

through

tins,

bags,

etc.

66

First

Army

School of

S.O.S

72

First

Army

School of S.O.S.

No.

i. Flat

Parapet.

The

easiest

possible

form of

parapet

to

spot

movement

behind

practically

a

death-trap

.......

74

First

Army

School

of S.O.S.

No.

2.

Same

parapet

as

in

No. i after

five minutes' alteration

. .

. .

76

First

Army

School of S.O.S.

Sniper's

Robe

on

a

6ft.

4in.

man in

the

open

........,,

88

Find

the

Sniper.

(The

flat

cap

gives

him

away)

.

.

92

Find

the

Sniper

(Look

for

the

rifle

barrel)

94

Telescopic

Sights.

With

Periscopic

Prism

Aldis.

With

Winchester.

With German

telescopic

sight

(showing

use

at

night)

98



LIST

OF

ILLUSTRATIONS

Inside the

Observation

Post

Facing

p.

122

Lovat Scouts

:

Battle

observers.

......

126

The

Fatal

Cap

14.2

First

Army

School

of S.O.S.

Comparison

of

sniper's

robe

as

opposed

to

ordinary

kit

firing

over

a

turnip

heap

.

.

144

First

Army

School

of

S.O.S.

Typical

German

Loophole

Disguises

in Earth

Parapet

. .

.

.

-

. .

148

1.

There are two

snipers

here one in uniform

and

one

in

a

sniper's

robe

150

2.

A

contrast

showing

the

drawbacks

of

uniform

and

a

correct

position

........

152

First

Army

School

S.O.S.

Showing

effects

and

importance

of

light

and

shade

........ 156

Night-work

in

No Man's

Land

194



SNIPING IN FRANCE

CHAPTER

I

THE

GENESIS

OF SNIPING

T)

EADERS

of

this

book

must

realize

the

neces-

*^

sarily

very

narrow

and circumscribed

point

of

view

from

which

it

is

written.

It

is

simply

an

account

of

some

memories

of

sniping,

observation

and

scouting

in

France

and

Flanders,

and

its

purpose

is

to preserve,

as

far

as

may

be, in

some

form

the

work

and

training

of

a class

of officers

and

men

whose

duties

became

ever

more

important

as

the

war

progressed.

It

is

in

the

hope

that

the

true

value

of

sniping

and

scouting

will

continue

to

be

recognized

in

the

future

training

of

our

armies,

as

it

certainly

was

recognized

in

the

later

years

of

the

war,

that

this

book

is

written.

The

idea

of

organized sniping

was

not

a

new one

to

me

when

I went

out

to

France

in

May,

1915.

I

had

been

there

before,

in

the

previous

March,

and

had

seen

the

immense

advantages

which had accrued

i

i



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

to

the

Germans

through

their

superiority

in

trench

warfare

sniping.

It is difficult

now

to

give

the

r

~exact

figures

of our

losses. Suffice

it

to

say

that

in

early

1915

we

lost

eighteen

men

in

a

single

battalion

in

a

single

day

to

enemy

snipers.

Now

if

each

battalion in

the

line

killed

by

sniping

a

single

German

in

the

day,

the

numbers

would

mount

up.

If

any

one

cares

to

do

a

mathematical

sum,

and to

work

out

the

number

of

battalions we

had

in

the

line,

they

will

be

surprised

at

the

figures,

and

when

they

multiply

these

figures

by

thirty

and look

at

the

month's

losses,

they

will find

that

in a

war

of

attrition

the

sniper

on

this

count

alone

justifies

his

existence and

wipes

out

large

numbers

of

the

enemy.

But it

is

not

only

by

the casualties

that one

can

judge

the value of

sniping.

If

your

trench

is

domi-

nated

by

enemy

snipers,

life

in

it is

really

a

very

hard

thing,

and

moral

must

inevitably

suffer.

In

many

parts

of

the

line

all

through

France and

Belgium

the

enemy,

who

were

organized

at

a

much

earlier

period

than

we,

certainly

did

dominate

us.

Each

regiment

and

most

soldiers

who

have been to

France will

re-

member

some

particular spot

where

they

will

say

the

German

sniping

was more

deadly

than

elsewhere,

but

the

truth of

the

matter

is

that in the

middle

of

1915

we

were

undergoing

almost

everywhere

a

severe

gruelling,

to

say

the

least of it.

2



THE

GENESIS

OF

SNIPING

When

I

went

out

in

May,

1915,

I

took with me

several

telescopic-sighted

rifles,

which

were either

my

own

property

or

borrowed

from

friends.

I

was at

the time

attached

to the

Intelligence

Department

as

an officer

in

charge

of

war-correspondents,

and

my

work

gave

me

ample

opportunity

to visit all

parts

of

the

line. Whenever

I

went

to the

line

I

took with

me,

if

it

was

possible,

a

telescopic-sighted

rifle,

and I

found that

both

brigades

and

battalions

were

soon

applying

to

me to lend

these

rifles.

In

this

way

opportunities

arose

of

visiting

the

line

and

studying

the

sniping problem

on

the

spot.

One

day

I

remember

I

was

going

through

the

trenches

in

company

with

the

Australian

Correspon-

dent,

Mr.

Gullett,

when

we

came

to

a

very

smart

notice

board on

which

was

painted

the

word

Sniper,

and

also

an arrow

pointing

to

the

lair

in

which

he

lay.

The

sniper,

however,

was

not in

the

lair,

but

was

shooting

over

the

top

of the

parapet

with

a

telescopic-

sighted

rifle.

These

rifles were

coming

out

from

England

at

that

time in

very

small

numbers,

and

were

being

issued

to

the

troops.

I

had

for

many

years possessed

telescope-sighted

rifles,

and had

some

understanding

of

their

manipu-

lation

as

used

in

big-game shooting.

In

a

general

way

I could

not

help

thinking

that

they

were

unsports-

manlike,

as

they

made

shooting

so

very

easy,

but

for

shooting

at rabbits with

a

small-bore

rifle,

where

3

i*



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

you

only

wounded

your

rabbit

unless

you

hit

him

in

the

head,

they

were admirable

and

saved

a

great

deal

of

unnecessary

suffering.

But to return to the

sniper.

Much

interested,

we

asked him how

he

liked his

rifle,

and

he

announced

that

he could

put

a shot

through

the

loophole

of

the

iron

shields

in

the

German trenches

every

time.

As

the

German

trenches

were

six

hundred

yards

away,

it

seemed to

me that the

sniper

was

optimistic,

and

we asked him

if he would

let

us

see him

shoot.

I

had

with

me a Ross

glass

which

I

always

carried

in

the

trenches,

and

when

the

sniper

shot

I saw

his

bullet

strike

some

six

feet to

the

left of the

plate

at which

he

was

aiming.

He, however,

was

convinced

from

the sound

that

it had

gone

clean

through

the

loophole

He

had

another

shot,

and

again

struck well

to the

left.

I

had

a

look

at his

sight,

which

was a

tap-over

fitting,

and

seeing

that

it

was

a

little

out of

alignment

I

questioned

the

sniper

as

to how

much

he

knew

about

his

weapon.

It is

no

exaggeration

to

say

that

his

knowledge

was

limited.

From

this

moment

all

telescope-sighted

rifles

became

a

matter

of

great

interest

to

me,

and

it

was

not

long

before I

came

to

the

conclusion

that

about

80

per

cent,

were

quite

useless,

much

worse,

in

fact,

than

the

ordinary

open

sights,

in

the

hands

in

which

they

were.

The men

using

them had

in

most

cases

hardly

any

knowledge

of

how

their

sights

were

aligned.

4



THE

GENESIS

OF

SNIPING

A

tap

or a

knock

and

the rifle

was

straightway

out

of

shooting.

For

the

benefit

of

the

untechnical reader it will be

well here

to

remark that

if

a

telescopic

sight

set

upon

a

4-inch

base is one-hundredth

of an

inch

out

of

its

true

alignment,

it will

shoot

incorrectly

to

the

extent

of

9

inches at

100

yards,

and,

of

course,

18

inches

at

200

yards,

and

54

inches

at

600

yards.

The

sights

had

been issued

without

instruction,

were often

handed over

as

trench-stores,

and

were

served

out

by

quartermaster-sergeants

who

very

often

looked

on

them as

egregious

fads.

It

seemed

to

me

that

here was

something

definite

to

go

upon

towards

that

organization

of

sniping

in

which I so much

desired

to

have a

hand. That

even-

ing

I

laid

the matter before

my

Commanding

Officer,

Lieut.-Colonel A. G.

Stuart,

of the

4Oth

Pathans,

than whom

surely

no finer

officer

went

to the

war.

He

was

killed in

1916

by

a chance

bullet

a

mile

behind

the

trenches,

when

he was

serving

near

Ypres

as

G.

S.O.I

to

the

5oth

Division.

He

listened

with

both

sympathy

and

interest.

You

say,

said

he,

that

all

or

nearly

all the

teles-

cope-sighted

rifles

you

have

seen

are

so

incorrect

as

to

be

worse than

useless. Are

you

quite

sure

of

this

?

>

Quite

sure,

said I.

And

that

is

only

one

side

of

it.

The men

have

no

idea of

concealment,

and

many

of

them

are

easy targets

to the

Hun

snipers.

5



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

The

proper

authorities

should

move

in

the

matter,

said

Colonel

Stuart.

There

don't

seem

to

be

any

proper

authorities,

sir.

The

officers

know

no

more than

the men

about

these

sights,

and

what I

want to

do is

this

:

If

it

is

possible

I

should

like

to be

appointed

as

sniping expert

to

some

unit.

I

believe

I

could

save

hundreds

of

lives

even

in

a

brigade

the

way

things

are.

Colonel

Stuart

said

nothing,

so

I

went

on

:

Will

you

help

me to

get

a

job

of this

kind,

sir

?

I

am

asking

because it

seems

absurd

for

a

fellow

like

me

who

has

spent

years

after

big

game

to

let

men

go

on

being

killed

when I

know

perfectly

well

that

I

can

stop

it.

Are

you

sure of

that

?

'

:

I

am

quite

willing,

sir,

to

go

to

any

unit for a

fort-

night's

trial,

and

if

I

do

not

make

good,

there

will

be

no

harm

done.

Well,

said

Colonel

Stuart

at

length,

we

will

talk to

people

about it and

see

what

they say.

After

that,

Colonel

Stuart often

questioned

me,

and

I

pointed out

to

him

our continued

and

heavy

losses,

the

complete

German

superiority,

the

necessity

not

only

of

a

course

of

training

but,

more

important

still,

the

selection of

the

right

men

to

train

and

also

their

value

to

Intelligence

if

provided

with

telescopes,

and

made

a

dozen

other

suggestions,

all

very

far-reaching.

When

I

look

back

now

on

these

suggestions,

which



THE

GENESIS

OF

SNIPING

came

from

a

very

amateur soldier of

no

military

experience,

I can

only

marvel

at

Colonel

Stuart's

patience

;

but

he

was

not

only

patient,

he

was

also

most

helpful

and

sympathetic.

Without him

th;s

very

necessary

reform

might,

and

probably

would,

have

been

strangled

at

birth,

or

would have

only

come

into

the

Army,

if

it

had

come at

all,

at

a

much

later

time.

Colonel

Stuart

not

only

allowed

me

to

speak

of

my

ideas

to

various

officers

in

high

command,

but

even

did

so

himself on

my

behalf.

I

was

amazed at the

invariable kindness and

courtesy

that

I

met on

every

hand.

I

used to

introduce

myself

and

say

:

Sir,

I

hope

you

will

forgive

me

if

I

speak

about

a

thing

I

am

awfully

keen

on

sniping,

sir.

The

Huns

got

twelve of

the

Blankshires

in

this

Division

on

their

last

tour

of

duty,

and

I think

we could

easily

beat them

at

this

if

we had

proper

training

and

organization.

And

then

I

would

lay

out

my

plans.

But,

though

people

listened,

there

were

immense

difficulties in

the

way,

and

these

might

never

have

been

surmounted,

although quite

a number of

Corps

and

Divisional G.O.C.'s

had

said

to

me

:

If

you

can

get

away

from

your

job

at

G.H.Q.,

come here

and be

our

sniping

expert.

We

shall be

very

glad

to

have

you.

Still,

as

I

say,

there is

a

thing

in the

Army

called

Establishment,

and there

was

no

Establishment

for

a

sniping

officer,

and

if

the

matter

were

put

through

the

War

Office

it

would

probably

take

some

months,

7



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

I

knew,

to obtain

an establishment.

Colonel

Stuart,

however,

once

I

had

convinced

him,

backed

me

up

in

every

possible

way,

going

to

see

the

M.G.G.S.,

Third

Army,

Major-General

Sir

A.

L.

Lynden-Bell,

who was

in

full

sympathy

with

the

idea.

It

was

thus

that

the

matter was

mentioned to

Sir Charles

Monro,

commanding

the

Third

Army,

and

Colonel

Stuart

arranged

with

Brigadier-General

MacDonogh,

now

Lieut.-General Sir

George

MacDonogh,

who

was

then

in

command

of

the

Intelligence

Corps,

to

allow

me

to

serve

with

the

Third

Army

as

sniping

expert.

John

Buchan,*

who

was

at

that

time

the

limes

correspondent

on

the

Western

Front,

also

gave

the

idea

great

encouragement.

He

had

seen

for himself

the

awful

casualties

that we were

suffering,

and

con-

sidered

the

scheme which I

laid

out

to

be

a sound one.

Sir

Charles

Monro,

in

talking

over

the

matter,

made

a remark

which I

have

always

remembered.

It

is

not,

he

said,

only

that

a

good

shot

strengthens

his

unit,

but

he

adds

to its moral

he

raises

the moral of

his

comrades

it

raises

the moral

of the

whole unit to know

that

it contains

several

first-

class

shots.

These

are

not the exact words

which

Sir

Charles

used,

but

they

are

as

near

them

as I

can

remember.

Now that I

had

got

my

chance

I

was

at

first

ex-

*

Afterwards

Lieut.-Col.

John

Buchan,

Director of

Information.

8



THE

GENESIS

OF

SNIPING

tremely happy,

but

later,

as

I

could

not

go

to

my

new

work

at

once,

I

became

a little nervous

of

failure,

and

pictured

myself

unsuccessful

in

my

attempt

to

dominate

the

German

snipers.

I

began

to

wish

that

I had

gone

to

my

work

a

month

earlier,

for when

the

Third

Army

took

over from the

French,

the

Germans

offered

any

amount

of

targets,

whereas

I

now

heard

that

they

were

becoming

more cautious.

I,

therefore,

cast about

for

some

way

in

which I

might

hope

to

make certain

of

success,

and

to

this

end,

having

conceived a

plan,

I

went down to

Neuve

Chapelle,

where

my

friend,

Captain

A. C.

Gathorne-Hardy,

9th

Scottish

Rifles,

since

killed at

Loos

leading

his

men

and

within

ten

yards

of

the

German

wire,

was

in

the

line.

We

obtained

from

the

old

German

trenches

a

number

of

the

large

steel

plates

from behind

which

the

German

snipers

were

wont to

shoot,

and

these

I

took

home

with

me

to

England,

for I

had obtained a

week's leave

before

taking

up

my

new

duties.

I

proceeded

to

try

on

these

plates

all

kinds

of

rifles,

from

the

Jeffreys

high

velocity

.333

to

heavy

elephant

guns

of various

bores,

and

was

delighted

to

find

that

the

bullets

from

the

.333,

as well

as

the

elephant

guns,

pierced

them

like

butter.

Here,

again,

Colonel

John

Buchan

came

to

my

assistance,

and obtained for me

a

fund,

to which

Lord

Haldane,

Lord

Glenconner

and

Lord

Finlay kindly

contributed

the

money,

and

which

enabled me

to

purchase

the

necessary

rifles.

Later

9



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

on,

Mr.

St.

Loe

Strachey,

the editor

of

The

Spectator,

continued

to

keep

up

my

fund,

which

really

was

of

incalculable value

to

us,

and

out

of

which

everything

from

dummy

heads

purchased

at

Clarkson's to foot-

ball

jerseys

for

the

splendidly-appointed

Sniping

School,

which

finally

eventuated,

were

purchased.

At

length

I

was

free of

my

work

at

G.H.Q.,

and

went down to

the

Third

Army,

where

I

was attached

to the

/th

Corps,

the

4th

Division,

and

the

loth

and

1 2th

Infantry

Brigades.

It

would

be

out

of

place

to describe in detail

the

days

that followed.

Suffice

it

to say

that

very

early

in

the

proceedings

it

became

clear

that

snipers

must

always

work

in

pairs,

one man

shooting

and

one

man

finding

the

targets

with

the

telescope.

The

regula-

tion issue of

the

latter

was

at

the

time,

I

think,

about

eight

telescopes

per

battalion,

and

these

were

used

by

the

Signallers,

but

Lord

Roberts'

Fund,

administered

with

extraordinary

energy

by

Mr.

Penoyre,

came

to

the

rescue,

and

soon a

certain

number

of

telescopes

dribbled

down

into the

4th

Division

line. As

to the

heavy

and

armour-piercing

rifles,

they

did

their

work

exceedingly

well,

and

no

doubt caused

a

great

surprise

to the

enemy.

One

day

I obtained

leave

to

go

to

Amiens,

where I

visited the

French

Camouflage

Works,

and

found

to

my

delight

that

they

had

made

a

number

of

papier-mache

models

of the

heads

and

shoulders

of

British

soldiers.

10



THE

GENESIS

OF

SNIPING

Of

these I

was

able to

purchase

a

large

quantity,

and

had

no

longer any

need

to

buy

in

London,

where

the

heads

were rather

theatrical

properties

than

the real

thing.

The

uses

to which

the heads

were

put

were

varied.

They

were,

in

these

early

days

before

they

were

too

much advertised

(for

they

afterwards became

an

issue

in our

Army),

most

useful in

getting

the

enemy

to

give

a

target.

It was

also

possible, by showing

very

skilfully

the

heads

of

Sikhs

or

Ghurkas

in

different

parts

of the

line,

to

give

the German

Intelligence

the

im-

pression

that

we

were

holding

our

line

with

Indian

troops,

and

I

have

no

doubt

they

were

considerably

worried

to

account

for

these

movements.

One

day

I received

orders

from

Army

Headquarters

telling

me

that

Colonel

Langford

Lloyd,

D.S.O.,

had

now started a

telescopic-sight

school

in

the

loth

Corps

area,

and

ordering

me to

go

there

and

to colla-

borate

with

Colonel

Lloyd

in a

book

upon

sniping

and

telescopic

sights.

I

went

and

found a

splendid

school

running,

in which

the instruction

in

telescopic

sights

was

rapidly

correcting

these

rifles

in

the

loth

Corps.

I

had

the

opportunity

at

Colonel

Lloyd's

school

of

learning

a

great

deal

that I did not know

about

tele-

scopic

sights,

and

many

other

matters in which

Colonel

Lloyd

is

a

past

master. He listened with

great

in-

terest to

the various

ruses,

of

which there was

now

quite

a

long

list,

that

we

had

employed

in

the

trenches.

We

wrote

our

pamphlet

on

sniping

and

telescopic

ii



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

sights,

a

pamphlet

which,

owing

to a

change

in

the

Army

Command,

was

never

published,

and

shortly

after

my

visit to Colonel

Lloyd

I

received the

intima-

tion

that

my

trial

time

with

the

Third

Army

had

been

successful,

and that

steps

would

now be taken to

get

me

placed

permanently

upon

its

strength.

In

the

meantime,

I

went

from

brigade

to

brigade,

burning

with

eagerness

to make

organized

sniping

a

definite

fact.

The

instruction

took

place

both

in

and

out

of

the

trenches,

and

during

the

course of

it

we

had

many

interesting

experiences.

As

soon as

people

began

to

talk

about

sniping

as

a

new

and

interesting

subject,

our

arrival

in

the

trenches became rather

trying,

as

we

were

certainly

looked

upon

as

something

in

the

light

of

performing

animals

who

would

give

some

kind

of

a

show

of

greater

or

less interest.

But

the

Higher

Command

soon

put

a

stop

to

this,

and

thence-

forward

we

were

allowed

to

plough

our

lonely

furrow.

It

would

be difficult

to

describe

the various

days

spent

in

the

trenches,

or

the duels

that

took

place

there

;

but

each

one

threw fresh

light upon

sniping

and

showed

the

enormous

extent

to

which

it

might

be

developed.

I

will make

some

reference

to

these

days

in

later

chapters.

As

I

have

stated,

snipers always

worked

in

pairs,

one

observing,

the

other

shooting,

and

soon

we

found

that

the

notes

kept

by

the

observer

were

invaluable

from

an

Intelligence

point

of

view.

If

a

line

was

12



THE

GENESIS

OF

SNIPING

well

covered

with

snipers'

posts,

nothing

could

happen

in

the

enemy

line

without

our

snipers'

observers

re-

porting

it no

work

could

be

done,

no

alteration

in

the

parapet

made. Successful

observation

was,

in

my

experience,

first obtained

in

the loth

Brigade,

commanded

by

Brigadier-General

Hull,*

by

the

2nd

Seaforth

Highlanders.

They

had

an

extraordinarily

keen

Commanding

Officer,

who

provided

his

men

with

good

telescopes.

We now

began

all

through

the

7th

Corps

to

start

sniping

sections

consisting

of

trained

snipers

and

observers,

and the success

of

the

movement

grew very

rapidly.

The

German

began

to cower

in

his

trenches,

and

as

time

wore

on

our

casualties

grew

less

and less.

My

life at this

time

was

an

extraordinarily

interesting

and strenuous

one.

Moving

from

brigade

to

brigade,

I

would

often

find

splendid

arrangements

for

testing

the

telescopic

sights,

and as

often none

at

all.

A

horse

before

breakfast,

on

which

I

would

set

forth

to

find

a

range,

followed

by

an

hour

in

the

Pioneer's

shop,

pasting

up

targets

made out of

old

Daily

Mails

on to

frames the

snipers

of

the

brigade

paraded

at nine

o'clock,

the

march

to

the

improvised

range,

shooting

the

telescopic

sights

at

the

target,

and after

dark

a

lecture

in

some

barn,

was

often

the order

of

the

day.

I think

in

these

early

days

that

I

was

exceedingly

*

Afterwards

Major-General

Sir

A.

Hull,

K.C.B.

13



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

fortunate

in

having

something

definite

to

show. The

telescopic

sights

were

often

very

much out

of

shoot-

ing,

and no

one understood

the

cure. I

think

many

thought

for

the

first

time

that

there

was

something

in

this

sniping

movement

when

a

sniper

missed

the

target

three

times

running

at

70

yards,

and a

little

later,

after

his

rifle

had

been

manipulated,

scored

three

bulls

on

end.

One

thing

that

struck

me

was

the

extraordinary

interest

taken

by

all

Brigade

Commanders

in

every

detail

of

the work.

I

do

not

say,

nor

do

I

think,

that

at

the

beginning they

looked on

my

coming

with

unmixed

favour.

Once

I

walked

into

a

Brigade

Head

-

quarters,

and

while

waiting

in

the

passage

heard

a

voice

say

:

Who

is

this

blighter

who

is

coming

?

And

then

someone

gave

my

name.

Then

a

voice said

:

Plays

cricket,

doesn't

he ?

I

could

not

help

laughing,

but

as

I

say,

in

the

very

early

days

every

Brigade

Major

and

G.O.C.

had to

be

converted

to

a belief

in

sniping.

Often

and

often

the

Brigade

Commanders

would

spend

hours

on

the

first

day

at

the

range,

and

I

think

that

without

excep-

tion

when

they

saw

the incorrect rifles

being

made

correct,

they

once

and

for

all

decided

in

my

favour.

On

my

second visit

to these

Brigades,

I

was

almost

always

made

the

guest

of

the

Brigadier-General

and

received

with

a

kindness

so

great

as

to

be

really

over-

14



THE

GENESIS

OF SNIPING

whelming.

Things,

in

fact,

were

going

very

well

indeed

for the work

which

one

hoped

would

soon

spread

through

the

whole

B.E.F.,

for

to

my

delight

one

day

I received

a letter from

Major

Collins,

then

G.S.O.2

to the

Second

Army,

whom

I

had

informed

of

my

appointment

as

sniping

expert,

to

say

that

General Plumer

was

starting

an

Army

Sniping

School

in

the

Second

Army,

and

asking

for

any

notes I

might

have.

But

one

morning

while

shooting

on

the

range

I

heard

that

Sir

Charles

Monro and his

staff

had

gone

to

Gallipoli.

I had

been

so

keen

on

my

work

that

I

had

not

pushed

the

matter

of

getting

my appoint-

ment

regularized,

but

now

I realized

that

its

tenure

might

become

very

insecure.

Indeed,

as a

matter

of

fact

when

I

did raise the

question

I

was

informed

by

G.H.Q.

that

if

I did not

keep

quiet

I

should

be

recalled.

In

1915,

the

Third

Army

was

far

and

away

the

best

sniping

Army

in

France.

There

was

hardly

an in-

correct

sight

in

the

loth

or

jih

Corps,

and scores

of

officers

and

hundreds

of

men

had been

through

courses

at

Colonel

Lloyd's

loth

Corps

School,

or

with

me.

It

was

while

I was

with

one

of

the

Infantry

Brigades

of

the

37th

Division

that

I

received

a letter which

gave

me

immense

pleasure.

It

was

to

the

effect

that Lieut.-

General

Making,

the

Corps

Commander

of

the

nth

Corps

in

the

First

Army,

wished

to

borrow

me,

so

that

I

might

lecture

on

sniping

to

his

Corps,

and

go

15



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

through

their

telescopic

sights.

Here

was a

splendid

chance

of

carrying

the

work

outside

my

own

Army.

About

this

time

I

was attached

to

the Third

Army

Infantry

School,

then

just

formed

under

its

first

and

very capable

Commandant,

Brig.

-General R.

J.

Kentish,

D.S.O.

I

lectured

there on

sniping

and

started

a

range

and

demonstrations,

but

I

found

myself

lecturing

to

Company

Commanders,

whereas

I

ought

to

have

been

doing

so

to

sniping

officers,

in order to

get

the best

results.

The

Company

Commanders

liked,

or

appeared

to

like,

the

lectures,

but,

in

the

Army phrase,

it

was

not

their

pidgin,

and

I

soon

felt

that

I

should

do

better work nearer the line.

From

the

school,

however,

I

journeyed up

into

the

First

Army

area,

and

went

through

the

sights

and

ful-

filled

my

engagement

with

the

nth

Corps.

I think

these

days

as

the

guest

of

the

various

Corps

Com-

manders

of

the First

Army

for

I

was

passed

on from

the

nth

Corps

to

the

3rd,

and

from

the

3rd

to

the

ist

were the

best

days

I had

in

France,

for

the

extra-

ordinary

keenness

in

the

First

Army

was

very

marked.

It

was

here

that

I

had

to

go

through

the

ordeal

of

having

to

lecture

to the

Guards Divisional

Staff and

Snipers

at nine

o'clock

in

the

morning.

In

lecturing,

even

on

an

interesting

subject

like

sniping,

it

has

always

seemed

to me

much

easier

to be

successful

in

a

warm

room

at

five

o'clock

rather

than

in

a

cold

one

at nine.

16



THE

GENESIS OF

SNIPING

After

finishing

with

the

First

Army

and

correcting

some

250

telescopic

sights,

I went back to the

Third

Army Infantry

School.

Here

I

found

that

the

Army

Commander

of

the Third

Army,

Sir

E. H. H.

Allenby,

had

applied

for

my

services

for

the

Third

Army,

and

had

received the

reply

that these could

be

granted

provided

I

relinquished

the

staff

pay

I was

receiving

and

was

willing

to

accept

instead

the

lower

rate of

an

Infantry

Captain.

This,

of

course,

I

agreed

to do.

Evidently,

however,

there was

some

further

hitch,

for

I

received

no

pay

for

the

next

eight

months,

nor

did

I

dare to

raise

the

question

lest

I

should

be sent

back

to

G.H.Q.

I

remember

one

General

saying

to

me

upon

this

question,

not

without

a

smile,

You

are

not

here

officially,

you

know,

and

any

Germans

you

may

have

killed,

or

caused

to be

killed,

are,

of

course,

only

un-

officially

dead.

I

will

conclude

this

chapter

with

a

letter that

I

wrote

in

November,

1915,

which

gives

my

impressions

at

that

date.

MY

DEAR

Since

I have

been

with

the

3rd

Army,

I

have

had

an

Officer

from

every

battalion

in

the

7th

Corps

through my

course.

These

Officers

in their

turn

train

snipers,

and

so

the

thing. permeates

quickly

and,

I

think,

with

really

good

results.

I

7

2



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Sniping

seems

to

me to

be

the art

of

I.

Finding your

mark.

II.

Defining

your

mark.

III.

Hitting

your

mark.

With

regard

to

No.

i,

it is

absolutely

essential that

the

use

of

the

telescope

should be

taught

from

the

stalking

or

big-game

point

of view.

If

we

had

one

Officer

teaching

it

in

every

battalion

of

our

Army

in

France,

we should

kill

a

lot of

Germans,

and

not

only

this but

the

task

of

Intelligence

Officers

would

be

greatly

facilitated.

With four

good

telescopes

on

every

battalion

front,

very

little

can

happen

in

the

enemy

line

without

our

knowing

it.

There

are

a

good

many

telescopes

in

France.

With

regard

to

defining

a

mark.

It

is

here

that

telescope

sights

help

us,

but

telescope

sights

in

the

hands

of

a

man

who

does

not

thoroughly understand

them

are

utterly

useless.

I

have had a

great

many

through

my

hands,

and

in

every

ten

I

have

had

to

correct

about

six after

they

have been

in

the

trenches

a

short

time. I wish

every

battalion

had

an

Officer

who

could

correct

and

shoot

telescopic

sights.

It

is

very important

that

he

should be

thoroughly

know-

ledgeable,

because

a rifle

barrel

must

not

have

too

many

shots

fired

through

it.

With

a

new

barrel

a

good

shot

can

nearly

always get

a

3-inch

group,

but

after

600

or

1000

shots

have

been

fired

through

the

barrel

the

group

becomes

more

scattered.

It

is

18



THE

GENESIS OF

SNIPING

therefore

necessary

that

the

man who

regulates

the

rifle

behind

the

trenches

should

be able

to

do so with

as

few shots

as

possible.

Another

point

is,

that men

must

be

trained

to

understand

and

believe

in

their

telescopic-sighted

rifles.

One

Brigade

I had

for

instruction,

on

the

third

day

of

instruction

with 16

snipers

shooting,

got

17

hits

on a

model

of

a

human

head

at

430 yards

in

the

first

21

shots.

Some of

the rifles

used

by

these

men had

been

6 or

8

inches

off at

100

yards

until

regulated.

In

all

they

got

27

hits

in

48

shots

on

the

head,

shoulder hits

not

counted.

Also I

have

been

having

Officers

through

a

regular

course.

I

give

them

first of

all

20

objects,

such as

models

of

heads

of

French,

British

and

German

soldiers,

periscopes,

rifle

barrel,

pickaxe,

fire

lighted,

etc. These

objects

are shown

for

fifteen

seconds

each

from

a

trench,

and

those

under

instruction have to

write

a list

of what

they

can see

with

a

telescope

from

600 or

700

yards

away.

It

is

wonderful

how

quickly

they

come on.

After

a short

time

they

can

spot

the

colour

of

the

pieces

of

earth thrown

up

from

the trench

under observation.

Then

I

give

them

a hillside to

examine.

On

this

hillside

I

place

a

couple

of

objects

which

are

easy

to

find,

perhaps

the heads

of

a

French-

man and an

Englishman.

I

also

put

in

two

carefully

concealed

loopholes,

which

they

usually

fail

to find.

This

teaches

thoroughness

of

search.

19

2*



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

The

construction

of

loopholes

is

most

important.

In

this

we are

behind

the

Germans.

There

is

one

form

of

double

loophole,

which

I am keen

to

see more

universally

adopted.

The

plate

is

placed

in the

para-

pet,

and

two feet

behind

it

a

second

plate

is

placed

in

grooves

along

which

it

will

slide. Not

once

in

a

hundred

times

does the

German

at

whom

one is

shoot-

ing

get

his

bullet

through

both

loopholes.

The

drainpipe

loophole

is

also

very good.

If

put

in at an

angle,

it

is

very

difficult

for

a

German

to

put

a bullet

down

it.

In fact

if

the

drainpipe

is

put

in

low

in

the

parapet,

the

brave

Hun

has

to

come clean

over

the

top

of

his

own

parapet

to

shoot down

it at all.

I

am

also keen

on

teaching

our

fellows to

open

loop-

holes

sanely.

I

usually

lie

in front

watching,

and

it

is

rarely

that,

if

I shot

straight,

I should not be

able

to

kill

or

wound nine of

every

ten

men who

open

them.

Loopholes

should,

of

course,

be

opened

from

the

side,

and a

cap

badge

exposed

before

they

are

looked

through.

If

the

German

does

not fire

for

75

seconds,

one

may

conclude

that

it

is

fairly

safe.

These

little

simple-sounding

precautions

can

save

so

many

lives.

I

cannot

help

feeling

that

sniping,

even

in

these

days

of

many

specialists,

should

be

organized

and

im-

proved.

My

aim has

always

been

to

work in

with

battalions.

Some

are better

than

others,

naturally

so,

but

always

without

exception

I have

found

them

very

keen

on

improving

sniping.

20



THE GENESIS

OF

SNIPING

The

use

of

snipers

in

attack

is

another

point.

If

you

have a man

who can hit

a model

of

a

human

head

once in

every

2

shots

at

400

yards

and

I

will

under-

take to

get

most

men

up

to

this

standard

who

can

shoot

decently

we

shall

kill

some

machine

gunners

in

our

next

advance. Also when

a

German

is

shoot-

ing

at

our

troops

coming

down

a road

through

an

aperture

made

by

the

removal

of

a

brick

from

a

wall,

as

they

have often

done,

how useful

to have

a fellow

who

can

put

a

bullet

through

the

aperture.

Of

course no

telescopic

sight

should

ever

be

touched,

except

as

far as

moving

the

focussing

sleeve

goes, by

anyone

who

does not

understand

it

thoroughly.

When

the

[object-glass

becomes

dirty

or

fogged

with

wet,

snipers

often

unscrew

it. Unless

they put

it back

in

its exact

original position,

they

of

course

alter

the

shooting

of

the

rifle

hopelessly.

They

also

unscrew

the

capstan

heads,

which

are

for

the

lateral

regulation

of

the

sighting.

I

have

seen

telescopic

sights

which

were

30

inches

out

at

100

yards,

or

about

25

feet at

1000

yards.

These

things

would

be

impossible

under

a

keen

sniping

Officer.

One

thing

I

am

certain

snipers

can

do.

They

can

make

it

very

hot

for the

enemy's

forward

artillery

observing

Officers.

If

when

the

enemy

shell our

trenches,

one

can

get

on the

flank,

one

can

often

spot

a

Hun

Officer

observing.

The

thing

to

do

then

is to

lay

a

telescope

on

through

a

drainpipe

loophole

near

21



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

by.

If

you pack

in

the rifle

on to

a bed

of

sandbags

so

that the

pointer

of

the

telescopic

sight

rests

just

under

the

place

where

the

Hun

pops up,

it

is

possible

to

take

aim

and

fire

the

rifle in

from

two

to

four

seconds.

It

is

very

important

that

the

man who

is

to shoot

should

look

through

the

big

telescope

and

get

a

map

of the trench

opposite

into

his brain.

Our

telescopic

sights

magnify

about

3%

and

one

can

often

make

a

successful

shot

by

shooting

six inches or

a

foot

left

or

right,

or above or

below

a

white

stone

or

some

prominent

object

in the

opposing

parapet,

even

when

you

cannot define the

Hun's

head

very

clearly

through

the

sight.

I

have seen this done.

It

is

a

very

good

sign

when

the Hun's

fieldglasses

fall on

the

wrong

side

of

the

parapet.

Another

thing

to

which

we

might

give

attention is

the

use

of

decoys.

I

have

had some

made

for

me by

the

French.

I

am

quite

convinced

if

I

were

asked

to

give

the

Germans

the

impression

that

we

had

been

relieved

by

Sikhs,

Gurkhas

or

Frenchmen,

that

I

could

do

so,

so

wonderful

are

the

models

made

for

me

by

the

French

sculptor.

It is

impossible

to

tell

them

from

the

real

thing

if

skilfully

exposed

at

100

yards,

unless

the

light

is

very

strong,

and

at

300

and

400 yards

it

is

quite

impossible.

In

fact

as

long

as

trench

warfare

lasts,

I

believe

much

22



THE

GENESIS

OF

SNIPING

can

be

done

in

many

small

ways,

if

desired.

But

1200

or

1500

telescopic

sights

in the hands

of trained

men

and

four

times

as

many

optical

sights,

if

full

value

is

got

out

of

them,

might

along

our

line

shorten

the

German

army

of

many

a valuable

unit

before

the

spring.

Again

and

again

battalions

report

two,

three

or

four

Germans shot

by

their

snipers

in a

single day

;

if

you

reduce

these

claims

by

half

or

even

if

each

battalion

snipes

but

one

Hun

a

day

and this

is

an

absurdly

low

estimate

where

adventitious

sights

are

skilfully

used,

the

loss

to

the

Germans

would

be

great.

I

have received

the

most

kindly

welcome

possible

from

everybody,

and

in

many

cases,

almost

in

all,

the

Corps

have

been asked

to

let

me

go

back

to

give

further

instruction. All

Brigadiers

are

very

keen

indeed

to

get

a

high

standard of

sniping,

and

many

of

them

feel

that to do this is almost

impossible

unless

the

snipers

are

trained

to

their

rifles

until

their

belief

in

their

own

powers

of

hitting

a

mark,

however

small,

becomes

fixed.

As I

think

of

sniping

all

day

and

often

dream

about

it

at

night,

I

could write

you

a lot

more on

the

subject,

of

which

I

have

only

touched

the

fringes.

If

we

organize

sniping,

we

can

get

solid

and

tangible

results

by

killing

the

enemy

and

saving

the lives

of

our

own

men.

Only

those who

have

been

in

a

trench

opposite

Hun

snipers

that

had

the

mastery,

know

what

a hell

life

can

be

made

under

these

conditions.

I

don't

think

the

Germans

are

better

snipers

than

23



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

our

men,

except

that

they

are more

patient

and

better

organized

and

better

equipped.

I

have found

out

a

good

deal

about the

German

sniping

organization,

but

this

is

too

long

to

go

into

now.

I

have

said

nothing

of

piercing

and

blowing

in

German

plates

with

heavy

and

.333

rifles. You can shut

up

their

sniping

very

promptly

for

a

time in

this

way.



CHAPTER

II

THE

SNIPER

IN

THE TRENCHES

F

N

my

last

chapter

I

attempted

to

give

some

history

of

the

small

beginnings

of

organized

sniping,

and

I

will

now

turn to

the actual

work

of

sniping

in

the

line.

Sniping,

which

is

to be defined

in

a

broad

way

as

the

art

of

very

accurate

shooting

from

concealment

or

in

the

open,

did

not

exist as an

organized

thing

at

the

beginning

of

the

war.

The

wonderful

rapid

fire

which

was

the

glory

of

the

original

expeditionary

force

was not

sniping,

nor

was

it,

beyond

a

certain

degree,

accurate. Its

aim

was

to create

a

beaten

zone

through

which

nothing living

could

pass

;

and

this

business

was not

best

served

by

very

accurate

individual

shooting.

Rather

it

was

served

by rapid

fire

under

skilled fire-control.

But

when

we

settled

down to

trench

warfare,

and

the

most

skilful

might

spend

a

month

in

the

trenches

without

ever

seeing,

except

perhaps

at

dawn,

the

whole

of

a

German,

and

when

during

the

day

one

got

but

a

glimpse

or

two

of

the

troglodytic

enemy,

there

arose

this need

for

very

25



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

accurate

shooting.

The

mark

was

often but

a

head

or

half

a

face,

or a

loophole

behind

which lurked

a

German

sniper,

and

no

sighting

shot

was

possible

because it

put

down

the

target.

The smallest of

big

game

animals

did

not

present

so

small a

mark

as the

German

head,

so

that

sniping

became the

highest

and

most

difficult

of

all

forms of rifle

shooting.

At

it,

every

good target

shot,

though always

useful,

was

not

necessarily

successful,

for

speed

was

only

less

necessary

than

accuracy,and

no

sniper

could

be

considered

worthy

of

the

name

who

could

not

get

off his

shot within

two

seconds

of

sighting

his

target.

So

much

for

the

sniper

in

trench

warfare,

of

which

a certain

clique

in

the

Army

held

him

to be

the

pro-

duct.

The

officers who

believed this

prophesied

that

when warfare

became

once

more

open,

he

would

be

useless.

This

proved perhaps

one

of

the

most

short-

sighted

views

of

the

whole

war,

for

when

it

became

our

turn

to

attack,

the

sniper's

duties

only

broadened

out.

Should

a

battalion

take a

trench,

it

was

the

duty

of

snipers

to

lie

out

in

front and

keep

down

the

German

heads

during

the

consolidation

of

their

newly-won

position

by

our

men,

and were

we held

up

by

a

machine-gun

in

advance,

it

was

often

the

duty

of

a

couple

of

snipers

to

crawl

forward

and,

if

possible,

deal

with the

obstruction.

I

am

here,

however,

going

ahead

of

my

narrative,

but I

want

early

in

this

book to

state

definitely

that

26



THE

SNIPER IN

THE

TRENCHES

the

sniper

is

not,

and from

the

first,

as I

saw

him,

never

was

meant

to

be,

a

product

of

trench

warfare.

In

modern

war,

where

a

battalion

may

be

held

up

by

a

machine-

gun,

it is

invaluable

to

have

in

that battalion a

number

of

picked

shots

who

can knock

that

machine-

gun

out. For this

purpose

in

some

of

our

later

attacks

a

sniper

carried

armour-piercing

ammunition,

and

did

not

shoot

at

the

machine-gunners, but

at

the

machine-gun

itself. A

single

hit

on the

casing

of

the

breech-block,

and

the

machine-gun

was

rendered

useless.

In

the

Army

there

has

always

been

in certain

quarters

a

prejudice

against

very

accurate

shooting,

a

prejudice

which is

quite

understandable

when

one

considers

the

aims

and

ends of

musketry.

While

sniping

is

the

opportunism

of

the

rifle,

musketry

is

its

routine.

It

would

obviously

never

do to

diminish

the

depth

of

your

beaten

zone

by

excess of

accuracy.

But

this

war,

which,

whatever

may

be

said

to

the

contrary

and

much

was

said

to

the

contrary

was

largely

a

war

of

specialists,

changed

many

things,

and

among

them

the

accurate shot

or

sniper

was

destined

to

prove

his

extraordinary

value.

But

a

great

deal

that I

have

said

in

the

foregoing

paragraphs

only

became

clear

later,

and

at the

moment

of

which

I

am

writing,

September

and

October,

1915,

the

superiority

lay

with

the

Germans,

and

the

one

problem

was

to defeat

them

at

a

game

which

they

had

27



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

themselves

started.

For

it

was

the

Germans,

and

not

the

British,

who

began

sniping.

That

the

Germans

were

ready

for a

sniping

cam-

paign

is

clear

enough,

for

at

the

end

of

1914

there

were

already

20,000

telescopic

sights

in

the

German

Army,

and

their

snipers

had

been

trained

to

use

them.

To

make

any

accurate

estimate

of

how

many

victims

the

Hun

snipers

claimed

at

this

period

is

naturally

im-

possible,

but

the

blow

which

they

struck

for

their

side

was a

heavy

one,

and

many

of

our

finest

soldiers

met

their

deaths

at

their

hands. In

the

struggle

which

followed

there

was

perhaps

something

more

human

and

more

personal

than in

the

work of

the

gunner

or

the

infantryman.

The

British

or

Colonial

sniper

was

pitted

against

the

Bavarian or

the

Prussian,

and

all

along

the front

duels

were

fought

between

men

who

usually

saw

no

more

of

their

antagonists

than

a

cap

badge

or

a

forehead,

but

who became

personalities

to

each

other,

with names

and

individualities.

Only

the

man

who

actually

was

a

sniper

in

the

trenches in

1915

can

know

how

hard the German

was

to

overcome.

At

the

end

of

1914

there

were,

as

I

have

said,

20,000

telescopic

sights

in

the Ger-

man

Army,

and

the

Duke

of

Ratibor

did

good

work

for

the

Fatherland

when

he

collected

all

the

sporting

rifles in

Germany

(and

there

were

thousands of

them)

and

sent

them

to

the

Western

front,

which

was

already

well

equipped

with

the

military

issue. Armed

28



.

w

The

Sniper's

End.



THE

SNIPER

IN THE

TRENCHES

with

these

the

German

snipers

were able to make

wonderfully

fine

shooting.

Against

them,

lacking

as

we

did

a

proper

issue

of

telescopic-sighted

rifles,

we

had to

pit

only

the blunt

open

sights

of

the

service

rifle,

except

here and there

where the

deer stalkers

of

Scotland

(who

possessed

such

weapons)

lent

their

Mannlichers and their

Mausers.

But

for these

there

was

no

great

supply

of

ammunition,

and

many

had

to

be

returned

to their

cases

for

this

reason.

At this

time

the

skill of

the

German

sniper

had

be-

come

a

by-word,

and in

the

early

days

of trench

warfare

brave

German

riflemen

used

to

lie out

be-

tween

the

lines,

sending

their

bullets

through

the

head

of

any

officer

or man

who dared

to look

over

our

parapet.

These

Germans,

who were

often

Forest

Guards,

and sometimes

Battle

Police,

did

their

business

with

a

skill and

a

gallantry

which

must

be

very freely

acknowledged.

From

the

ruined

house

or

the

field

of

decaying

roots,

sometimes

resting

their

rifles

on

the

bodies of

the

dead,

they

sent

forth

a

plague

of

head-wounds

into

the

British

lines.

Their

marks were

small,

but when

they

hit

they

usually

killed

their

man,

and

the hardiest

soldier

turned

sick

when he

saw the effect of

the

pointed

German

bullet,

which

was

apt

to

keyhole

so

that

the

little

hole

in

the

forehead where

it

entered

often

became

a

huge

tear,

the

size

of a

man's

fist,

on the

other

side

of

the

stricken

man's

head.

That

occasional

snipers

29



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

on

the

Hun

side reversed

their

bullets,

thus

making

them

into

dum-dums,

is

incontrovertible,

because

we

were

continually

capturing clips

of

such

bullets,

but it must

also be remembered

that

many

bullets

keyholed

which

were not so reversed.

Throughout

the

war

I

saw

thousands

of

our

snipers'

bullets,

and

I

never

saw

one

which had

been

filed

away

or

other-

wise

treated with

a

view

to

its

expanding

upon impact.

At

that

time

in

the

German

Army

there

was

a

system

of

roving

snipers

;

that

is,

a

sniper

was

given

a

certain

stretch

of trench to

patrol,

usually

about half-

a-mile,

and

it

was

the

duty

of

sentries

along

his

beat

to

find

and

point

out

targets

for

him.

This informa-

tion I

got

from

a

prisoner

whom

I

exa-mined soon

after

I

went

down to the

trenches.

Indeed,

I

used

to

go

any

distance

to

get

the

chance

of

examining

a

prisoner

and

so

learn

something

of

the

German

organization.

One

deserter

gave

quite

a

lot

of

in-

formation.

He

had the

Iron

Cross,

and

was

a

sergeant.

One

of

the

scenes

that

always

remains

with

me

is

the

examination of

this

man

on

a

rainy,

foggy

night

by

the

light

of

a

flaring

smoky

lamp

in

the

room

of

an

estaminet

just

behind

the

lines.

As

time

went

on

it

became

very

difficult

for a

German

prisoner

to

lead

me

astray

with

wrong

information. There

were

so

many

questions

to

which

one

got

to

know

the

answers,

and

which

must

be

more

or

less

common

knowledge

to

German

riflemen.

The



THE

SNIPER

IN

THE

TRENCHES

demeanour

of

prisoners

was

very

diverse.

Some

would

give

no

answers

brave

fellows

these,

whom

we

respected

;

others

would volunteer

a

good

deal

of

false

statement

;

others

yet

again

were so

eager

to

answer

all

questions

that

when

they

did

not know

they

made

a

guess.

But

one

way

and

another,

through

them

all

I

gained

an

immense amount

of

information

as to

the

German

sniping

organization.

It

would

appear

that

the

telescopic-sighted

rifles

in

the

German

army

were

served

out

in

the

ratio

of

six

per

company,

and

that these

rifles

were

issued

not

to the

private

soldiers

who

shot

with

them,

but

to

N.C.O.'s

who

were

responsible

for

their

accuracy,

and

from

whom

the

actual

privates

who used the

rifles

obtained

them,

handing

them

back

at

given

intervals

for

inspection.

In

the

top

of the

case

of

each

German

telescopic

sight

were

quite

short and

very

clear

instructions,

a

very

different

matter

to

the

conditions

obtaining

upon

our

side,

where

very

often,

as

I

have

before

stated,

the

man

using

the

telescopic

sight

knew

nothing

about

it.

On

one occasion

I had

gone

down

on

duty

to

a

certain

stretch

of

trench

and

there found

a

puzzled-

looking

private

with

a

beautiful

new rifle

fitted

with

an Evans

telescopic

sight.

That is

a nice

sight,

said

I.

Yessir.

I examined

the

elevating

drum,

and

saw

that

it



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

was

set

for

one

hundred

yards.

Look

here,

I

said,

'

you

have

got

the

sight

set

for a

hundred.

The

Hun trenches

are

four

hundred

yards away.

The

private

looked

puzzled.

Have

you

ever shot with

that

rifle

?

I

asked.

No,

sir.

Do

you

understand

it

?

No,

sir.

How did

you get

it ?

It was

issued

to

me as

trench

stores,

sir.

Who

by

?

The

Quartermaster

Sergeant,

sir.

Certainly

many

a

German

owed his

life

in those

earlier

days

to

the

fact that so

many

of

the

telescopic-

sighted

rifles

in

the

British

Expeditionary

Force

were

incorrectly

sighted

to the hold

of

the

men

using

them.

By

this

I mean

that

some

men

hold

tightly

and

some

men hold

loosely,

and there

may

be

a

difference

at

a

hundred

yards

of six

inches

in

the

shooting

of the same

rifle in

different

hands.

To hand

over

the

rifle

as

trench

stores,

in

which case

it

would

be shot

by

different

men of

different

battalions,

was

simply

to do

away

with

the

accuracy

which formed

its

only

asset.

But

to return

to the

examination

of

German

prisoners.

One

point

cropped up

over

and

over

.again,

-and

this was

the

ease with

which German

snipers

<juifce

frankly

owned

that

they

were

able

to

32



THE

SNIPER

IN

THE

TRENCHES

distinguish

between

our

officers

and

men

in

an

attack,

because,

as one

said

naively

:

the

legs

of

the

officers

are

thinner than the

legs

of the

men.

There

are

hundreds

and

hundreds

of

our

officers

lying

dead

in

France and

Flanders

whose death was

solely

due to

the

cut

of

their

riding

breeches.

It is

no use

wearing

a

Tommy's

tunic and

a

webbing

belt,

if

the

tell-tale

riding

trousers are not

replaced by

more common-

place garments.

In

1915

there

were

very

few

loopholes

in

the

British

trenches,

whereas

the

Germans

had

a

magnificent

system.

In

early

days

when I used to be told

at

Brigade

Headquarters

that

there

was

a

German

sniper

at

such and

such a

map

reference,

and I

was

to

go

and

try

to

put

him

out of

action,

I

very

rarely

found

a

loophole

from

which

I

could

reconnoitre

him,

and

as

every

German

sniper

seemed

to

be

sup-

ported

on

either

flank

by

other

German

snipers,

looking

for him

with

one's

head

over

the

top

of

the

parapet

was,

if

made

a

continual

practice, simply

a

form

of

suicide. I

used,

therefore,

to have

a

couple

of

sandbags

filled

with stones and

rubble

placed

as

inconspicuously

as

possible

on

the

top

of

the

parapet.

No

ball

will

pierce

a

sandbag

full

of

stones,

and

it

was

thus that

one

got

the

opportunity

of a

good

look

at

the

German trenches

without

fear

of

receiving

a

bullet

from

either

flank.

At

this

time

the

efforts

to

camouflage

our

loopholes

33

3



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

were

extraordinarily

primitive

indeed,

conceal-

ment

was

nearly

impossible

in

the

form

of

parapet

then

in

use.

Many

of

our

units took an

actual

pride

in

having

an

absolutely

flat

and

even

parapet,

which

gave

the

Germans

every

opportunity

of

spotting

the

smallest

movement. The

parapets

were

made

of

sandbags

beaten down

with

spades,

and

it

is

not

too

much

to

say

that

along

many

of

them

a

mouse

could

not

move without

being

observed

by

the

most

moderate-sighted

German

sniper.

It

was

curi-

ous

how some few

commanding

officers

stuck

to

these

flat

parapets

in

the

face

of

all

casualties

and

the

dictates

of

common-sense,

even

after the

High

Com-

mand

had

issued

orders

upon

the

subject.

At

a

later

date

a

trial

was

instituted,

and

proved

that

in

spotting

and

shooting

at

a

dummy

head

exposed

for

two

and

four

seconds over a

flat

parapet,

the

number

of

hits

was three to

one,

as

compared

with

the

same

exposure

when made

over an

imitation German

parapet.

Over on

the

other

side

of

No

Man's

Land

the

Ger-

man

trenches

presented

a

quite

different

appearance

from

ours ours

being

beaten

down,

as

I

have

said,

until

they

made

as

clear a

line as

a

breakwater.

The

German

trenches

were

deeper,

with

much

more wire

in

front,

and

from

our

point

of view looked

like

the

course

of

a

gigantic

mole which had

flung

up

uneven

heaps

of

earth.

Here and

there,

a

huge

piece

of

34



THE

SNIPER IN

THE

TRENCHES

corrugated

iron

would

be

flung

upon

the

parapet,

and

pinned

there with

a

stake.

Here

and there

stood

one of

those

steel

boxes,

more or less

well concealed

under a

heap

of

earth,

from which set

rifles fired

all

night.

Here

and

there

lay

great

piles

of

sandbags,

black,

red,

green,

striped,

blue,

dazzling

our

eyes.

It

was said

that

the

Germans

used

the

pink

and

red

ones

to

look

round,

because

they

approximated

to

flesh

colour,

but

this

was no

doubt

apocryphal.

But

what

was

not

apocryphal

was the

fact

that

the

Germans

had a

splendid

parapet

behind

which

a

man

could

move

and

over

which

he could

look

with

comparative

impunity,

whereas

we

in

this

respect

gave

heavy

hostages

to

fortune.

There

was

one

protection

which

was

always

sound,

and

which

could

be

put

into immediate

operation,

and

that was to

teach our

men

to

hang

as

many

rags

as

possible

upon

our

wire,

and

wherever

else

they

could in

the

region

of our

parapet.

These

fluttering

rags

continually

caught

the

German

eyes,

which

were

drawn

by

the

movement

of

the

rags

in

the

wind.

It is

possible

that,

if

the truth

were

recognized,

those

simple

little

rags

saved

many

a

life

during

the

course

of

the

war.

Of

course,

there

were

battalions

in

which

attempts

had

been

made

to

remedy

these

defects,

as

there

was

one

type

of

officer

whom

one

occasionally

came

across. This

was

the soldier who had done

a

certain

amount of

stalking,

or

big-game

shooting,

and

35

3*



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

it

is

not

too

much to

say

that Wherever

there

was

such

an

officer,

there

were

usually

two

or

three

extra

tele-

scopes

and

telescopic-sighted

rifles,

and

various

well-

concealed

posts

from

which to use

them.

The

In-

telligence

report,

which

was each

day

forwarded to

Brigade,

was

also

full

and

accurate.

Indeed,

the

truth

of

the

matter

forced

itself

upon

me,

as

I

spent

day

after

day

in

the

trenches.

What

was

wanted,

apart

jrom

organization,

was neither

more nor

less than

the

hunter

spirit.

The

hunter

spends

his

life in

trying

to

outwit

some difficult

quarry,

and

the

step

between

war and

hunting

is

but

a

very

small

one.

It

is

in-

conceivable that a

skilled

hunter in

a

position

of

com-

mand

should

ever

allow

his

men to

suffer

as

our

men

sometimes

did in

France. It

was

all

so

simple

and

so

obvious.

The

Canadian Division

and,

later,

the

Canadian

Corps

was

full

of

officers

who

understood

how

to deal

with

the German

sniper,

and

early

in

the

war

there

were

Canadian

snipers

who

were

told

off to

this

duty,

and

some

of

them

were

extraordinarily

successful.

Corporal,

afterwards

Lieutenant,

Christie,

of

the

P.P.C.L.I.,

was

one

of

the

individual

pioneers

of

sniping.

He

had

spent

his

life

hunting

in

the

Yukon,

and

he

simply

turned

the same

qualities

which

had

brought

him

within the

range

of

the

mountain

sheep

to

the

downfall

of

Fritz

the

Forest

Guard.

In

the

long

monotony

of

the

trenches

during

that

bleak

winter

of

1915,

the

only

respite

besides

work



THE

SNIPER IN

THE

TRENCHES

which was

possible

to

our

soldiers

,was

the

element

of

sport

and

excitement

introduced

by

sniping

and

its

more

important

and

elder

sister,

observation.

Sniping

in

a

dangerous

sector

and

there

were

many

of

these

was

really

neither

more

nor

less

than a

very

high-

class form of

big

game

shooting,

in

which

the

quarry

shot back.

As

to

danger,

there

are

in

Africa

the

lion,

the

elephant,

the

buffalo

and

the

rhinoceros,

and

though

the

consensus

of

instructed

opinion

agrees

that

in

proportion

more

hunters

come

back

feet

fore-

most

from

lion

hunting

than

from

the

pursuit

of

the

three other forms of

dangerous

game,

yet

I

suppose

that

no

one

would

dispute

that

the

German

sniper,

especially

when

he is

supported

on

either

flank

by

Kamaraden,

was far

more

dangerous

in

the

long

run

than

any

lion.

In

sniping,

as

the

movement

grew

and

sections

were

formed,

one

relied

to an

enormous

extent

upon

the

skill

of

the

section

to

which the

individual

sniper

belonged.

A

really

first-rate man in a

bad

section

was

thrown

away.

First-rate men

under

a

moderate

officer

were

thrown

away,

and,

worse

than

all,

a

good

section

under a

good

officer,

who

were relieved

by

the

slack

and

poor

section

of

another

battalion,

often

suf-

fered

heavy

casualties

through

no

fault

of

their

own.

Thus,

the

Royal

Blankshires,

who

have an

excellent

sniping

organization,

build

half-a-dozen

skilfully-

hidden

posts

for

observation and

sniping

purposes.

37



SNIPING IN FRANCE

All

kinds

of

precautions,

which

have

become

second

nature,

are taken to

prevent

these

posts

being

given

away

to

the

enemy.

The

telescopes

used

are

care-

fully

wrapped

in

sandbags,

their

sunshades

carefully

extended lest

the

sun

should,

by

flashing

its reflec-

tion

upon

the

object

glass,

give away

the

position.

The

loopholes

in

dry

weather

are

damped

before

being

fired

through,

and,

most

important

of

all,

no

one

but

the

C.O.,

the

sniping

officer,

and

the

snipers

and

observers

are allowed in the

posts.

If

anyone

else

enters them there

are

for

him

heavy

penalties,

which

are

always

enforced.

The result is that

the

Blank-

shires have

a

good

tour

of

duty,

lose

no casualties

to

enemy

snipers,

and

get

splendid

detail

for

their

Intelligence

reports.

They

are

relieved,

however,

by

the

Loamshires.

The

C.O.

of

this

Battalion

does

not

believe

very

much

in

sniping.

He has

a

way

of

saying

that

sniping

will

never win

the

war.

He

has,

it is

true,

a

sniping

section

because,

and

only

because,

his

Brigadier

and

his

Divisional

General

are

keen

about

sniping,

and

continually

come into

the

trenches

and

inquire

about it. But

the Loamshire

sniping

section

is a

pitiable

affair.

They

take

over

from

the

Royal

Blanks.

These are

jolly

good

observation

posts,

says

the

Royal

Blanks

sniping

officer.

He is

the

real

thing,

and

he

dreams of

his

job

in

the

night.

But one

has

38



From n

drawing

f>ii]

OUTSIDE

THE

SNIPERS'

POST.

Shut

the

loopholes.

I'm

coming

in.

\_Ernftt

Jll

ail-leu.

[To

face

p.

38.



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

had

been invaded

by

Loamshire officers

and

men

in

need of a view of

the

German

trenches or of

sleep.

The

curtains

that

kept

the

loopholes

dark

had been

turned

back. The result

was

as

might

have been

expected.

The

watching

German,

who

had

suffered

from

those

posts

without

being

able to locate

them

when

the Blankshires were in the

trenches,

now

spotted

them,

rang

up

their

guns,

and

had them

demolished,

not

without

casualties

to

the

Loamshires.

So

the

work was

all

to

be

done

again

but

no

sooner

does

the keen

Blankshire

officer

build

up

a

post

than

the slack

Loamshire

officer allows

it

to

be

given

away.

It is now a case

for the

Royal

Blanks

C.O.

to take

up

with

the

Loamshire

C.O.

Such

were

the

difficulties

of

the

keen

officer

when

the

opposite

number of the

relieving

battalion

was

a

dud.

Conscientiousness

is

a

great

quality

in an

officer,

but

in

the

Sniping, Scouting

and Observation

Officer

something

more

was needed.

To obtain

success,

real

success,

it

was

necessary

that

his

should be a

labour

of

love. He

must

think and dream

of

his

work

at

all

hours

and all

times,

and

it

was

wonderful how

many

came

to do this. In the

battalion

the

Intelligence

and

Sniping

officer

had

always

a

sporting

job,

and if

he

suffered

in

promotion

(as

do

nearly

all

specialists

in

any great Army)

yet

he

had the

compensations

which come

to

an

artist in

love

with

his

work.

40



THE

SNIPER IN THE TRENCHES

There

were

at

this time

one

or two

other factors

in the

situation

to

which

I

must

allude in

order

that

the reader

may

understand

the

position

as

it

was

then.

The

enemy

had an

immense

preponderance

in

trench

weapons

such

as

minenwerfer.

The result

was

that

a

too

successful

bout of

British

sniping

sometimes

drew

a

bombardment.

The

activity

of

snipers

was

there-

fore

not

always

welcome

to

short-sighted

officers,

who

distinctly

and

naturally

objected

to

the

enemy

rifle-

men

calling

in

the assistance

of

the

parapet-destroying

engines

of

war,

in

which

they

so outclassed

us.

Soon,

however,

it

was realized

that

the

state

of

things

obtaining

while the

German

held the

mastery

of

aimed

rifle-fire

could not

be

permitted

to

continue

the casualties

were

too

great

and

I will

now

give

some account of the

instruction

and

experience

in

the

trenches

that went on while

we

were

attempting

to

capture

the

sniping

initiative

from

the

enemy.

ii

Towards

the

end of

October,

1915,

I

was

ordered

to

report

to

the

48th

Division,

then

holding

a

line

in

the

neighbourhood

of

Hebuterne.

I

was

to

proceed

to

Divisional

Headquarters

behind

Pas,

and was

there

ordered

to

Authie,

where

a

number

of

officers were

to

come for

instruction.

This

instruction

was,

as

usual,

to

be

divided

between

the

back

areas

and

the



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

front

line. I

had

applied

for

the

services

of

my

friend,

Lieut.

G.

M.

Gathorne-Hardy,

an

experienced

shot,

and

skilled

user

of

the

telescope,

who had

been

many

shoot-

ing

trips

in

different

parts

of

the

world

with

me

and

others.

At

Authie we

at once settled

down

to work

;

the

officers

going through

a

course

which need not be

detailed

here.

Suffice it to

say

that the

telescopic-

sighted

rifles

of all the

battalions

in

the

Division

were

shot

and

corrected,

and

various

plans

which

we

had

formed

for

the

destruction

of

German

snipers

were

rehearsed.

On

the

third

day

arrangements

were made

by

Divi-

sion as to

which

trenches

we

were to

visit,

and

after

duly

reporting

at

Brigade

Headquarters

in

a

dug-out

in

Hebuterne,

we

proceeded upon

our

way.

It

is not

an

easy thing

to

instruct five

or

six officers

in

the

line in

sniping

the

number

is

too

large

so

as

soon

as

we

entered

the

trenches

I

divided

my

class

into

three

parties,

and

assigned

to each

an

area

in

which to

look for German

snipers,

Gathorne-Hardy

and

I

going

from one

group

to another.

At

the

point

at which we

entered the front

line

trenches,

our line was

a

little

higher

than that

of

the

enemy,

so

that

the

initial

advantage

was

certainly

with

us,

and almost

at

once

G.

(for

so

I

shall

refer

to

Capt.

Gathorne-Hardy)

spotted

a

German

sniper

who

was

just

showing

the

top

of

his

cap

at

the end

of

a

sap.

He was

about

three

hundred

42



THE

SNIPER

IN THE

TRENCHES

and

fifty

or

four hundred

yards

away,

and

though

we

watched

him for

half-an-hour,

he

gave

no

target.

So

we

moved

on.

Examining

the

enemy

line

was

en-

thralling

work,

as he

had,

even at that

time,

begun

his

campaign

of

skilled

concealment,

and

was

apt

to

set

periscopes

in

trees,

and

steel boxes

in

all

sorts of

posi-

tions.

To

spot

and

actually

place

thes

upon

the

map

was

as

important

a

duty

of the

sniper

as

killing

the

enemy

by

rifle

fire.

For,

once

discovered,

such

strong

points

and

emplacements

could

be

dealt

with

by

our artil-

lery.

But

to return.

G.

and

I,

after

visiting

the

sec-

tions,

acted

together

as

shooter

and

observer.

After

spending

a

couple

of hours

examining

the

enemy

line,

we

got

into a

disused

trench

and

crawled

back to

a

little

bit

of

high

ground

from

which

we were

able to overlook

a

group

of

poplar

trees

which

grew

between

the

lines,

and

which

were

said to

be

the

haunt

of

a

very capable

German

sniper.

Nothing,

however,

was

to be seen

of

him,

though

we

could

clearly

make

out the

nest he

had built

in

one

of the

trees

and,

on

the

ground,

what

appeared

to

be

either

a

dead

man

lying

in

the

long grass

or

a

tunic.

While

we

were here

a

message

came

down

to

say

that

No.

I

group

had seen

a

party

of

nine

Germans,

and had

wounded

one

of

them.

No. 2

party

had not

been successful.

43



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

At

the time of which

I

write

the

Germans

were

just

beginning

to

be a little

shy

of

our

snipers

on

those

fronts

to which

organization

had

penetrated,

and

it

was

clear

that the

time

would arrive

when

careful

Hans and

conscientious

Fritz

would become

very

troglodytic,

as

indeed

they

did.

We

had,

therefore,

turned

our minds to think out

plans

and

ruses

by

which

the

enemy

might

be

persuaded

to

give

us

a

target.

We

had

noticed

the

extraordinary

instinct

of

the

German Officer to move to

a

flank,

and

thinking

something might

be

made out

of

this,

we collected

all

our officers

and

went

back

to the

place

where

G.

and I had

spotted

the Hun

sniper

or

sentry

at

the

end

of the

sap.

A

glance

showed

that he

was still

there.

I

then

explained my plan,

which

was that I

should

shoot

at this

sentry

and

in

doing

so,

deliberately

give

away

my

position

and

rather

act

the

tenderfoot,

in

the

hope

that

some

German

officer

would take

a

hand

in

the

game

and

attempt

to read

me

a

lesson

in

tactics.

On

either

flank about

150

yards

or so

down the

trench I

placed

the officers under

instruction

with

telescopes

and

telescopic-sighted

rifles,

explaining

to

them

that

the

enemy

snipers

would

very

possibly

make

an

attempt

to

shoot

at

me

from about

opposite

them.

I then

scattered

a lot of dust

in the

loophole

from which

I

intended to

fire,

and

used

a

large

.350

Mauser,

which

gave

a

good

flash

and

smoke.

As

the

sentry

in

the

sap

44



-

C^j



THE SNIPER

IN THE

TRENCHES

was

showing

an

inch

or

two

of

his

forehead as

well

as

the

peak

of his

cap,

I

had

a

very

careful shot at

him,

which

G.,

who

was

spotting

for

me

with

the

glass,

said went

about

twelve inches too

high.

The

sentry,

of

course,

disappeared,

and I

at

once

poured

in the

whole

magazine

at

a

loophole

plate,

making

it

ring

again,

and

by

the

dust

and smoke

handsomely

giving

away

my

own

position.

I

waited

a

few

minutes,

and

then commenced

shooting again.

Evidently my

first

essay

had

attracted

attention,

for

two

German

snipers

at once

began

firing

at me

from

the

right

flank. At

these two

I

fired

back

;

they

were

almost

exactly opposite

the

party

under

instruction,

and

it

was

clear

that,

if the

party

held

their

fire,

the

Germans

would

probably

give

fine

targets.

As

a

matter of

fact,

all that we

hoped

for

actually happened,

for

the

exasperated

German

snipers,

thinking

they

had

to deal

only

with

a

very

great

fool,

began

to

fire

over

the

parapet,

their

operations

being

directed

by

an

officer

with

an immense

pair

of

field-glasses.

At

the

psychological

moment,

my

officers

opened

fire,

the

large

field-glasses

dropped

on the

wrong

side of

the

parapet,

as the

officer

was

shot

through

the

head,

and

the

snipers,

who

had

increased

to five

or

six,

disappeared

with

complete

suddenness.

Nor did the

enemy

fire

another

shot.

It should

be borne in

mind,

in

reading

the

above,

how

great

a

plague

were

the

skilled

German

snipers

to

45



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

us.

One

of

them

might

easily

cause

thirty

or

forty

casualties.

Later in

the

war

we

had,

on

our

side,

many

a

sniper

who

killed his

fifty

or even

his

hundred

of the

enemy.

Besides,

as I

have

pointed

out,

in

these

early

days

of

trench

warfare the

continual attrition

caused

by

German

snipers

was

very

bad

for

moral.

At

a

later

date we found

a

means

by

which we were

able

at

once

to find the

position

of

any

German

sniper.

For

this

purpose

we used a

dummy

head

made

of

papier-mache.

The

method

of

using

was as

follows

:

When

a

German

sniper

was

giving

trouble,

we

selected

a

good

place

opposite

to

him,

and

drove

two

stakes into

our

own

parapet

until

only

about

a

foot

of

them

remained

uncovered.

To these we nailed

a

board

on

which

was

fashioned

a

groove

which

exactly

fitted

the

stick or

handle attached

to the

dummy

head.

This

stick

was

inserted in

the

groove

and the

dummy

head

slowly

pushed

up

above our

parapet.

If

the

enemy

sniper

fired

at

and hit

the

head,

the

entry

and

exit

of

the bullet made

two

holes,

one

in

the

front,

and

one

in

the

back of

the hollow

dummy

head.

The

head,

immediately

on the

shot,

was

pulled

down

by

whoever

was

working

it in

as

natural

a

manner

as

possible.

The

stick

on

which

it

was

mounted

was

then

replaced

in

the

groove,

but

exactly

the

height

between

the

two

glasses

of

a

periscope

lower

than the

position

in

which

it

was

when

shot

through.

46



From a

dratfiny by]

[Ernest

Blnikley.

Spotting

the

Enemy

Sniper.

\_ToJ

'ace

p.

46.



THE SNIPER

IN THE

TRENCHES

Now

all

that remained

to do

was

to

place

the

lower

glass

of

the

periscope opposite

the

front hole

in

the

head,

and

apply

the

eye

to

the

rear

hole

and

look

into

the

periscope,

the

upper

glass

of which

was

above the

parapet.

In

this

way

we

found

ourselves

looking

along

the

path

of

the

bullet,

only

in

the

opposite

direction

to

that

in

which

it

had

come,

and,

in

the

optical

centre

-of

the

two

holes,

would be

seen

the

German

sniper

who

had

fired the

shot,

or

the

post

which

concealed him.

Once

found

he

was

soon

dealt

with.

In

trials

at

First

Army

Sniping

School,

we were

able

by

this

invention

to

locate

sixty-seven

snipers

out

of

seventy-one.

Some of

those

who

wanted

to

give

the

dummy

head

a

specially

life-like

appearance,

placed

a

cigarette

in

its

mouth,

and

smoked

it

through

a

rubber

tube.

It

is

a

curious

sensation to

have

the

head

through

which

you

are

smoking

a

cigarette

suddenly

shot

with

a

Mauser

bullet,

but

it

is

one that

several

snipers

have

experienced.

After

the

incidents

last

described,

we

went

up

towards

the

flank,

where

the

4th

Division

lay

along-

side

the

48th.

It

was

in

this

Division

that the

2nd

Seaforth

Highlanders

had

just

played

a

delightful

trick

on

the

enemy.

Someone

in the

battalion had

ob-

tained a

mechanical

stop,

one of

those

ticking

bits

of

mechanism

which

are

made

with

a

view

to

saving

the

47



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

employment

of a

human

stop

at

covert-shoots.

This

particular stop

was

guaranteed

to

tick

loudly

for

hours.

The

Seaforths

were

facing

the

Germans across

a

very

wild

piece

of No Man's

Land.

One

night

some

adventurous and

humorous

spirit

crawled

out

and

placed

the

stop

about

sixty yards

from the

German

parapet,

and

then set it

going.

The

Germans at

once

leaped

to

the conclusion that the

tick-tick-tick

was

the

voice

of some infernal

machine,

which

would,

in

due

time,

explode

and

demolish

them.

They

threw

bombs,

and

fired

flares,

and officers and

men

spent

a

most

haggard

and horrible

night,

while

opposite

them

the

Scotsmen

were

laughing

sardonically

in their

trenches.

The

whole

incident

was

intensely

typical

of

the

careless

and

grim

humour

with

which the

Scot-

tish

regiments

were

at times

apt

to

regard

the

Hun.

Another

battalion at a

much later

date,

when

the

Germans had become

very shy,

and

mostly

spent

their

off-duty

hours

in

deep

dug-outs,

had the brilliant

idea

of

preparing

a

notice board on which

was

printed

in

large

letters and

German

:

Bitter

Fighting

in

Berlin,

and

then,

in

smaller

type,

some

apocryphal

information.

This

notice

it

was

their

plan

to

raise,

having

first

posted

their

snipers,

who

would

be

sure

to

obtain shots at the

Huns

who

attempted

to read

the

smaller

lettering

with their

field-glasses.

I do not

think,

however,

that

this

plan

was ever

actually

carried



THE SNIPER

IN

THE

TRENCHES

out.

This

was

fortunate,

since,

though

ingenious,

the

idea

was

not

sound,

as

it

would

inevitably

have

led

to

a

heavy

bombardment

of

the

trenches

in

which

the

notice

was

shown,

and

the

game

would

not have

been

worth

the

candle.

To

continue,

however,

with our

day.

Late in the

afternoon,

no

Germans

having

shown

themselves

since

the

shooting

of the

officer

a

heavy

bombardment

broke

out

on

the

right

flank,

and

we hurried

in that

direction,

as

experience

had

taught

me

that

the

German

Forward

Observation Officers

often

did

their

spotting

for

the

guns

from the

front-line

trench

on

the flank of the

bombarded area.

Sure

enough,

we soon

picked up

one

of

those

large

dark

artillery

periscopes,

shaped

like an

armadillo.

It

was

being

operated

by

two

men,

as far as

could be

seen.

One

of

them wore a

very

high

peaked

cap,

and

was

at once

called

Little

Willie

;

the

other had

a

black

beard.

The

nearest

point

to which

we could

approach

was more like

five

than

four hundred

yards,

and

though

we waited

till

dark,

Little Willie

did

not

show

more

than

his

huge

cap

peak

and an

inch

or two

of

forehead.

As

evening

fell,

we went

out

of

the

trenches

without

having

fired,

as soon after

our

arrival

the

bombardment

had

ceased,

and

Little

Willie

never

gave

a

good target,

and

the

bearded man

had

dis-

appeared.

I

did

not

wish to

disturb

the

German

F.O.O.'s

in

their

post

; as,

now that

they

were

dis-

49

4



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

covered,

arrangements

could be

made

to

deal with

them

when

next

they

were

observing.

The

opportunity

occurred

three

days

later,

when,

after

a

very

long

vigil,

an

officer shot Little

Willie,

and

the

same

evening

a

Howitzer

battery

wiped

out

the

post

for

good

and

all.

As,

when

Little

Willie

met

his

end,

he

was

just

in

the

act

of

spotting

the

first

shots

for his

battery,

which

had

opened

on

our

front

line

trenches,

his

death

pro-

bably

saved

us

some

casualties,

for

it

temporarily

stopped

the

activities

of his

guns.

It

was

not

only the

number

of

the

enemy

that

our

snipers

shot

that

was so

important.

It

was often

the

psychological

moment

at

which

they

shot them

that

gave

their work

an

extra value.

In

the

autumn

of

1915

there

came

high

winds

following

frosty nights.

It

was

clear

that

a

heavy

fall

of

the

leaf would take

place

on the

following days.

I

therefore

asked,

and obtained leave from

the

4th

Division,

to which

I

was

at

the

time

attached,

to

drop

instructional

work,

and

instead

to

go

into

the

trenches

in

order

to

spot

enemy

snipers

and

artillery

observa-

tion

officers'

posts.

On

my

way

down

I called

at

Headquarters,

where

I

was

told that

a

very

trouble-

some

sniper

was

operating

at

Beaumont Hamel.

This

man had

killed

a

number

of

our fellows.

He

was

supposed

to

live

in

a

pollarded

willow,

one

of

a

row

not

very

far

from

Jacob's

Ladder,

which

will

be

remem-



THE

SNIPER IN

THE

TRENCHES

bered

by

all who

were

on

that

front in

1915.

There

was

on that

day

a

certain

amount

of

mild

shelling

of

the

communication

trenches,

but

before

the

advent

of

gas-shells

this

rarely

caused

trouble in the

daytime,

except

to

those who

had to

repair

the

breaches.

On

the

day

in

question

I was

alone

with

my

batman,

who,

I

can

say,

without

fear

of

libel,

shot better

than

he

batted,

for

he had

been

chosen

because

he was

a

marksman.

Arrived

in the

front

line,

we

at

once

set

about

trying

to

locate

the

sniper.

As

a

rule,

in

such

a

case,

the

enemy

one seeks

is

taking

a

siesta,

but

this

was not

so

now,

for as

soon

as

I

looked

over

the

parapet

a

bullet,

striking

low,

knocked

some

dust into

my

eyes.

At

this

point,

you

must

understand,

our

trenches were

shaped

like an

arm,

with a

crooked

elbow,

the crook

or

turn of the elbow

being

at the

bottom

of

a

hill.

In

front

lay

Beaumont

Hamel,

where in

the

German

lines when I

arrived

a

soldier

had

hung

out

his

shirt

to

dry.

Between us and

Beaumont

Hamel

lay

a

wild

piece

of No

Man's

Land,

with

some

dead

ground

on

the

Beaumont

Hamel

side,

and

at

the

bottom

of the

hill

the

row of

willows

from

which

the

sniper

was

supposed

to

operate.

As these

willow trees were out

of

sight

from

the

place

where

I

had

been

fired

at,

I did

not

put

down

that shot to

the

sniper,

whom we

will call Ernst.

In

this I

was

probably

wrong,

as

transpired

later.

All

that

morning

we

tried

to

locate

Ernst,

who

had

5i 4*



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

four

more

shots at

me,

but all

that

I

had

learned at

the

end

of

it

(when

I

imagine

Ernst

went

off for a

well-earned

siesta)

was

that

he

was a

good

shot,

as

though

obviously

some

distance

away,

he had made

quite

good

practice.

We most

carefully

examined the

pollarded

willows,

and

spotted

one

or

two

good

snipers'

posts, especially

one

at

the

bottom

of

a

hedge,

but

as

far

as Ernst was concerned

he

had

all

the

honours.

The next

day

I

was

occupied

all

the

morning

with

an

enemy

artillery

O.P.

which

was

destroyed

by

howitzer

fire,

and it was

not

till after

lunch that

I

could

turn

my

attention

once

more

to

Ernst.

This time I

began

at the

bottom

of

the

hill. There

were no

loopholes,

so it was

a

case

of

looking

over,

and

almost

at

once

Ernst

put

in

a

very

close

shot,

followed

again

by

a

second

which was not

so

good.

The

first

shot

had

cut

the

top

of

the

parapet

just

beside

my

head,

and I noticed

that

several

shots

had been fired

which had also cut

the

top

of the

sandbags.

Behind

the

line

of

these

shots

was

a

group

of

trees,

and as

they

stood

on

slightly

higher

ground

I crawled

to

them,

and

at

once

saw

something

of

great

interest.

In

the

bole of

one

of

the trees

a

number

of

bullets

had

lodged,

all

within

a small circle.

Crouching

at

the

base

of

the

tree,

and with

my

head

covered with an

old

sandbag,

I

raised

it until

1 could

see

over the

parapet

fifty

yards

in

front,

and

found

at

once

that

the

line

of

these

shots,

and

those

which

had

struck

the



THE

SNIPER

IN

THE

TRENCHES

tree

behind

my

head,

were

very

nearly

the

same,

and

must

have

been

fired

from an

area

of

No

Man's

Land,

behind

which

it

looked

as

if

dead

ground

existed on

the

enemy's

side,

and

probably

from

a

large

bush

which

formed

the

most

salient

feature

of

that

view.

I

then

went back

to

the

trenches,

and

warned

all

sentries

to

keep

a

good

look-out on this bush

and

the

vicinity.

Very

soon one

of them

reported

movement in the

bush.

With

my glass

I

could

see a

periscope

about

three

feet

above the

ground

in

the

bush,

which

was

very

thick.

Being

certain,

as

the

periscope

was

raised so

high,

and

as

it had

only

just

been

elevated,

that

it

was

held

in

human

hands,

I

collected

half a

dozen

riflemen

and

my

batman,

and

giving

them

the

range,

and the

centre of the

bush

as

a

target,

ordered

them to

open

fire.

On

the

volley

the

periscope

flew

backwards

and

the

activities

of

Ernst ceased

forthwith.

It

was

this

experience

of

looking

along

the

path

of

the

enemy's

bullets

that

led

directly

to

the

invention

for

spotting

enemy

snipers,

which

I

have described

earlier

in

this

chapter.

No

one

can

deny

that

Ernst

was

a

gallant

fellow,

lying

out

as

he

did

between

the

lines

day

after

day.

Whether

he

was

killed or

not who

can

say,

but

I should

think

the

odds

are

that some bullets

of

the

volley

found

their

billet.

At

any

rate,

sniping

from

that

quarter

ceased.

53



THE

SNIPER

IN THE

TRENCHES

wire

me

:

Only

one Hun

sniper

left on

my

front.

Can

you

lend

me

your

elephant

rifle

?

In this

particular

brigade

the

Brigadier

informed me

that

he

had

not

lost

a

man

through

enemy

sniping

in four

months.

Sniping,

I

think,

or let

us

say

the

sniping

campaign,

may

be

divided into

four

parts.

During

the

first,

the

Germans

had

the

mastery.

During

the

second,

our

first

aim

was

to kill

off

the more

dangerous

German

snipers

and

to

train

our

own to become more formid-

able.

The

third

was when

the

Germans had

fairly

gone

to

ground

and

would

no

longer

give

us

a

chance.

The

idea

now

was

to

invent

various

ways

in which

to

induce

them

to

give

a

target,

and

the

final

period

came

at

a

much

later

date,

when

great

battles

were

being

fought,

and the

work of

sniping

was

beginning

to

merge

into that of

scouting,

and

snipers

were

being

trained

in

great

numbers

to

deal with

the new

situations

that

were

arising

every

day

as

the

Germans

altered

their

tactical

plans

of

defence.

55



CHAPTER

III

EARLY

DAYS

WITH

THE

I

ITH

CORPS

AND

FIRST

ARMY

nnOWARDS

the

end

of

1915 my

services were

again

borrowed

by

the

First

Army,

this

time

to

take

a class

of

Sniping

and

Intelligence

officers

through

the

course

of

sniping

and

observation which

was

already

in

operation

in

the

Third

Army,

and

also

to

lecture

to

a

G.H.Q.

Intelligence

Class

on the

Observation and

Intelligence

side

of

sniping

a

big

subject.

I

went

up

the

long

road

through

Doullens,

Prevent

and

St.

Pol,

which

I

had traversed

so

many

times

from

the

days

when

it

was

impassable

with

French

soldiers before

the

Battle of Loos to the

quieter

times

which

had

now

dawned.

During

the war one had

very

few

relaxations of

any

kind.

Shooting

was

for-

bidden,

games

were

difficult

for

the

unattached

Ishmaelite to

obtain,

and

often

for

long

periods

it

was

impossible

to

get

any

change

of

thought.

The

long

drives

to

all

parts

of the

line

held

by

the British

Army,

which

were

part

of

my

work,

were,

therefore,

exceed-

ingly

pleasant

by

contrast.

Wherever

there

was

a

56



EARLY DAYS

WITH

THE

XI.

CORPS

battle I used to

try

and

get

to

it

at the earliest

possible

moment,

in order to have the

opportunity

of

examin-

ing

the

German

trenches,

for as

time

went on

sniping

became more

and

more

scientific,

and

the

Germans

were

always

starting

some new

method

which

had

to

be

countered.

One

of the

most

important

points

was

to

obtain

specimens

of each

issue

of

their

steel

plates,

in

order

to

experiment

on

them

with

all

kinds

of

bullets.

But

to

return

to

the First

Army

Class.

We were

allotted

a

curious

range

on

the

outskirts

of

the

town

of

Bethune,

then

a

thriving

community,

which

had

been

hardly

shelled

at

all,

although

well

within

the

battle

area.

Our

rifle-firing

took

place

under

cover,

and

each

target

appeared

through

a

series

of holes

cut

in

a

number

of

brick

walls

which

crossed

the

range

at

right angles.

The noise

in the

room

of

the

cottage

which

formed

the

2OO-yards firing-point

was

deafen-

ing,

but

as the weather

was

both

wet

and

cold

head-cover

had

its

advantages.

The

class which

assembled

consisted

of

a

picked

officer

from

each

Division,

twelve

in

all.

Some

I

lost

sight

of

afterwards,

but

two,

at

least,

of

this

class

rose

to command

their

battalions,

and

one

was

awarded

the double

D.S.O.,

another

the

M.C.

and

Bar,

and

several

more

single

decorations.

In

order

that

the

class

might

be

taught

the

manipu-

lation

of

telescopic

sights,

all the

rifles

of the

1st

Corps

57



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

which

were

fitted with these

sights

or with

optical

sights

were

sent

down,

together

with

the

snipers

who

shot

them,

in

order

that the

rifles

might

be

tested

for

accuracy.

As at that time

there

had

been

no

real

organization

or instruction in the

use of adventitious

sights

in the

Corps,

it

is

not

to be

wondered

at

that

most of these

were incorrect. Of

the

first

eighty,

fifty-nine

were

quite

valueless until

regulated,

and

we

were

hard

put

to

it

to

correct

them

as

party

after

party

arrived.

At

length

a

party

of

Scottish

Rifles

came,

every

one

of

whose

weapons

was

entirely

correct.

They

were

under the

command

of

a

young

officer

who,

when

the

trial of

his

men's

rifles

was

over,

saluted

and

said

to

me

:

Will

I

stay

and

help

you

with the

other

rifles,

sir ?

Do

you

understand

telescopic

sights

?

Yes,

sir.

Have

you

done much

shooting

?

'

:

Yes,

sir.

Won

anything

?

The

King's

Prize,

and

the Scottish

Open

Cham-

pionship,

and

the

Caledonian

Shield,

sir.

What

is

your

name

?

Gray,

sir.

That

evening

Corps

Staff was

rung up

and

Gray

was

straightway

appointed

Corps

Sniping

Officer.

Suffice

it to

say,

that

in

a few

weeks

the

German

58



EARLY

DAYS

WITH

THE

XI.

CORPS

snipers

had been dealt with

in

a

way

that

must

have

amazed

them.

Later

on,

Gray's

Division moved

into the nth

Corps,

where I have

always

thought

that

sniping

on

some

sectors

reached

its

high-water

mark

as far

as

the

year

1916

was

concerned.

Afterwards

he became

my

assistant

at

the

nth

Corps

School,

and

later

at

the

First

Army

School.

He

finally

proceeded

to

the

U.S.A.,

with the rank

of

Major,

to

spread

the

light

there.

In

this

he

was

most

successful,

receiving

the

thanks

of the

Divisional

General

to whose

Division

he

X

was

attached

for the

extraordinary

efficiency

of

his

work.

In

my

experience

of

sniping

officers

in

France,

two

are

outstanding,

and he

was

one

of them.

The

other

was

Major

O.

Underbill,

1st

K.S.L.I.

Our

class on

that

queer

range

in Bethune

lasted

a

fortnight

and

was

instrumental

in

getting

me

a

bout

of sick

leave

;

for

when,

as

part

of

the

instruction,

we

had to

make

a trench

and build

into

it various

posts

such as

snipers

use,

we

found

ourselves

working

in

an

extremely

noisome

atmosphere.

As far

as

we

could

make

out,

the

greater

part

of

the

town

drainage

seemed

to

be at

no

great

distance under

the

ground

in

which

we

had to

dig.

The result

was

a bout

of

trench

fever. The time I

spent

at

home was

not,

however,

wasted,

as I was

able

to

collect

large

numbers

of

telescopes

and

get

the

various

courses

for

sniping

instruction written

down,

which

was

useful,

as

I

was

59



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

continually

receiving

applications

for

a

syllabus

from

units outside the

Third

Army.

When

I

returned

to

France

I was

again

attached

to

the

Third

Army,

but

not

to

the

Infantry

School,

who

had

secured

the

services

of

Captain

Pemberthy during

my

absence.

This

very capable

officer

did

splendid

work

for

the

Third

Army.

Instead,

I

went

down

the

line

and resumed

my

old

work

of

instructing

brigades

and

battalions.

I

also

went

to the Indian

Cavalry

Divisions.

At

this

time,

I

remember,

volunteers

who

possessed

a

knowledge

of

the

fitting

of

telescopic

sights

were

asked

for

in

the

7th

Corps.

The

result

was

exceed-

ingly

typical.

One

private,

who

sent

in

his

name,

stated that

he

was well

acquainted

with

telescopic

sights

and

their

fittings,

having

been for

four

years

employed

by

Messrs.

Daniel Fraser

of

Leith

Street

Terrace,

Edinburgh,

the

well-known

firm of

gun

and

rifle

makers,

whose

work

on

telescopic

sights

stands

so

deservedly

high.

The

staff

who unearthed

this

appli-

cant did

not continue

to

congratulate

themselves

on

having

produced

exactly

the

article

wanted,

when,

through

a letter

to

Messrs.

Fraser,

it

transpired

that,

though

it

was

quite

true

that

the

man

had

been

employed

by

them,

the

position

that

he

had

held

in

the

firm

was

that

of

errand

boy,

and that his

knowledge

of

telescopic

sights

was

consequently

not one

which

they

felt

they

could

confidently

recommend.

60



EARLY

DAYS

WITH

THE

XI.

CORPS

During

these

days

I

went back to

many

of

the

brigades

to

which

I

had

been attached six

months

previously.

The

casualties

among

snipers

had

not

been

very

heavy

and

we

had

fairly

obtained

the

upper

hand.

At this

period

troops

were

massing

for

the

Battle

of

the

Somme,

in

which the

Third and Fourth

Armies

took

part.

The

use

of

the

telescope

was

now

a

matter of

immense

interest,

as

Intelligence

wanted

all

the

facts

they

could

get

about

the

enemy,

and

consequently

instruction in

glass-work

for battalion

and

brigade

observers

became

more and

more

sought

after,

and

I

trained

many

observers for

Major-General

Hull,

G.O.C.

56th

Division.

Just

at

this

period,

however,

there

was

a

change

in

my

fortunes,

and

I

was

ordered

to

proceed

to the

First

Army,

to the

command

of which

Sir

Charles

Monro

had

just

suc-

ceeded

after

his wonderful

performance

in

Gallipoli.

I

therefore

left

the

Third

Army

area

and

went

by

rail

to

Aire-sur-Lys,

in order

to

report

to

First

Army

Headquarters,

which was

situated

in that

town.

It

would be

absurd to

deny

that I

was

very glad

to

be

attached

to

the First

Army,

where

the

keenness

which

I

had

seen

on

my

visit at

Christmas

time

to

the

various

Corps

Commanders

was

glorious.

Arriving

at

Aire

I

reported

to the

Town

Major,

and

was

allotted

a

room

in

the

hotel

called

Le

Clef

d'Or.

Here I

was

eating

my

dinner

when

the Town

Major

came

across

and

wanted

to

know

if

an

officer

of

my

61



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

name

was

present.

He

said that a

car

was

waiting

outside,

and

that

I

was

to

go

direct

to

the

Army

Commander's

chateau

to

dine

and

stay

the

night.

The

next

day

the

Army

Commander

questioned

me

very

closely

about

sniping,

and

about

all that had

occurred

with

regard

to it since

he

had seen

me

last:

He then

informed me

that

I

was

to

be

attached

to the

nth

Corps,

and that

my

orders were

the

same

as

they

had been

under

him

in the

Third

Army

to make

good

shots,

and

as

many

of them as

possible

The

nth

Corps,

since

my

previous

visit,

had

started

a

sniping

school,

where

they

were

putting

through

five

officers and

twenty

men

on

short courses. The school

was

situated on the

far

side

of

the

Forest

of

Nieppe,

near

a

place

called

Steenbecque.

I was ordered

to

make

this

school

my

headquarters.

It

was

in

charge

of

Lieut.

Forsyth

M.C.

of

the 6th Black

Watch.

A

more

curious

and

picturesque-looking

spot

for

a

school

it

would

be

hard to

imagine.

The

headquar-

ters were in

a

little

Flemish

farmhouse,

kept

by

an

exceedingly

close-fisted

family,

and

the

range,

which

had

firing

points

at

one,

two,

three

and

five

hundred

yards,

was

neither

more nor

less

than

a

long

sloping

cornfield.

A

most

satisfactory

point

about the

range

which

was an

excellent

one

was

that

it

was

within

two

hundred

yards

of

headquarters,

so

that after

parade

hours were over an

immense

amount

of

volun-

tary

work

was

done

upon

it.

It

was

here

that

we

first

62



EARLY

DAYS

WITH

THE

XI. CORPS

began

to

tend

towards

the

really

much

longer

and more

detailed

course of

instruction

which

we

afterwards

amplified

to

a

vastly

greater

extent

at First

Army

School,

as

soon

as

the

courses were

lengthened

to

seventeen

days'

duration.

From the

first

it

may

be said that

the men

and

officers who came

upon

all these

courses

were extra-

ordinarily

keen.

They

liked

sniping,

and still

more,

observation,

because

they

felt

that

here,

at

last,

in

the

great

impersonal

war,

was

an

opportunity

for

individual

skill. The more

imaginative

of

them

realized

also

the enormous

possibilities

of

the

trained

observer. In other

chapters

I will

give

several

instances

of

the

observation

of

small

details

which

have had

consequences

of

the

most

far-reaching

nature.

I

think

that this

feeling

of the

ever-present

possibility

of

the

opportunity

of

being

able

to do

a

big thing

formed

part

of

the

fascination

of

the S.O.S.

courses

S.O.S.

in this case

meaning,

Sniping,

Observation

and

Scouting,

and

not

Service

of

Supply,

as it

does

in the

American

Army.

It has been

said,

and

truly,

that

soldiers

are

pretty

destructive,

but

the

fajct

remains

that

hundreds

of

privates,

N.C.O.'s

and

officers went

through

their

shooting

courses in the

Steenbecque

cornfield,

which

was

traversed

in

all directions

by

narrow

paths,

and

yet

it was

difficult

to

find

any

downtrodden

ears of

corn.

Our

one

difficulty

was

that

at

one

of the

firing

63



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

points

the

corn

grew

up

and

obscured

the

targets.

It

had, therefore,

to

be

cut to

the area

of

about

ten

yards.

I

do

not

know

what

the claim

sent

in

by

the

farmer

was

for

this

damage,

but as

far as

claims

were

concerned

nothing

was

ever

missed

by

the

Flemish

peasant.

Although

it

was

my

Headquarters

I used

only

to

spend

the

first

two

days

of

every course

at

the

school

;

the other

days

I

passed

attached

to

various

divisions

and

brigades,

and

in

this

way

became

conversant

with

the

trench

line

of

the

Corps

along

the

whole

length

of which

I

inspected

the

snipers'

posts.

The

3

3rd

Division,

who

were

holding

the

line

opposite

Violaines

and the

Brick-stacks,

had had a

tremendous

duel

with

the German

snipers.

This

line

has

always

been a

difficult

one from

the

sniper's

point

of

view,

as

the

Germans

had,

unfortunately,

the

best of

it

as to

posi-

tion.

The Brick-stacks

made ideal

sniping-posts,

and

there

were

many

other

points

of

vantage

which

were

very

much

in

their

favour. It

shows,

however,

what

a

first-class

sniping

officer can

do

when

it

is

realized that

the

33rd

Division

who,

when

they

went

into

the

trenches,

found

the,

Germans

very

much in

the

ascendant,

soon reduced

them to

a

more

fitting

state of

mind.

It

was here that

Gray

the

sniping

officer in

ques-

tion had a

trying experience.

One

day

while

making

his tour

of

duty,

an officer

told

him

that there

64



EARLY

DAYS

WITH

THE

XI.

CORPS

was a

sniper

who

was

causing

them

trouble.

Gray

asked

where

he

was,

and was

led

without words

to the

part

of our

trench

opposite

which the German

sniper

was

supposed

to

lie.

Gray,

being

signed

to do so

by

his

guide,

looked

over,

only

to

be

saluted

at

about

ten

yards'

range

with

a

bullet

which

whizzed

by

his

ear.

That's

him,

said

the

officer

delightedly.

I

knew

he

was

pretty

close. But what

am

I

to

do

?

He

shoots if

one tries to

spot

where

he

is.

Have

you

never

heard

of

the

sniperscope,

you

?

demanded

Gray.

By

Jove,

the

very

thing

cried the

officer,

and

it

was

not

long

before

the

German

sniper

was

reduced

to

impotence.

But

to

return

to the

nth

Corps

School.

Work

there

was

certainly

strenuous.

There

was

nothing

to

do

in the

village

and

nothing

to do in

Morbecque.

The

nearest

place

of

relaxation was

Hazebrouck,

and

Hazebrouck was out of

bounds.

The

result was

that

having

an

interesting

course

with

plenty

of

rifle

shooting

competitions,

together

with

occasional

mild

cricket

and

football,

officers and

men were

able

to

concentrate

upon

the

work

in

hand,

and

certainly

their

shooting

improved

with

amazing

quickness.

About

this

time the

33rd

Division

moved

south,

and

Lieut.

Gray

was

attached

to

the

School,

where

he

soon

left

the

impress

of

his

personality

and methods.

65

5



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

One

of the

difficulties that

we had

always

found

in

the

First

Army

was

due to

the

fact

that

our

trenches,

as

far

at

any

rate

as

the Neuve

Chapelle-Fauquissart

area

was

concerned,

were

very

shallow,

and,

indeed

we

lived

rather

behind

breastworks

than

in

trenches.

To

make

loopholes

in

these

breastworks

was

ex-

ceedingly

difficult,

but

Gray

invented

a

system

which

we christened

Gray's

Boards

which

fairly

met

the

case.

Thus,

if

he

wished

to

put

in

a

concealed

iron

loop-hole plate,

he first

of all

cut

a

square

of

wood

of

exactly

similar

size.

In

this

he

fashioned

a

loop-

hole

to

correspond

with

the

loophole

of

the iron

plate.

He then

wired

the

wooden

plate

on

to the

iron

plate,

and

having

rolled

and

stuffed

a

number

of

sand-

bags

in

exact

imitation

of

the

parapet

in

which

he

wished

to

insert

his

loophole,

he

tacked

these with

a

hammer

and

tacks

upon

the

wooden

board.

The

whole

loophole

was then

built

in

at

night.

These

loopholes

of his

were

rarely

discovered,

and

they

had

also

the

added

advantage

that

if

a bullet

struck

them

it did

not

ring

upon

the

iron

plate,

as

it had

to

pierce

the

wooden

board

first,

so

the

posts

were

never

given

away

by

sound.

It

was

at the

nth

Corps

School

that

we

first

con-

structed

exact

imitations

of

German

trenches

and

German

sniping

posts

;

in

fact,

in

one

way

or

another,

a

great

deal

of

pioneer

work

was

put

in

there,

and

the

school

prospered

exceedingly.

66



m



EARLY

DAYS

WITH

THE

XI. CORPS

The

chief

reason,

I

think,

for

the

success

of

the

school

was

the

great

personal

interest

taken

in

it

by

the

Corps

Commander,

Sir

R.

Haking,

who would

come out

from his

headquarters

at

Hinges

and

inspect

the

school

at

frequent

intervals,

as

did

also

Brigadier-

General

W.

Hastings

Anderson,

then

B.G.G.S.

of

the

Corps.

We

were

inspected

in

July

by

the

Army

Commander,

and from time to time

officers

from

other

theatres

of

war

and

from

other

armies

visited

us.

In

a

meadow

near

the

school was

a

small

pond,

full

of

fish,

which

it

was

the

ambition

of

Gray

and

myself

to

catch.

There

was

only

room

for

two

fishermen

at

a

time,

and

only

on

one

occaHon

was

a fish

caught.

This we

gave

to

the farmer

who

owned the

pond,

and

I

presume

he

ate

it,

for he

was

up

at

Headquarters

early

the

next

day

inquiring

for

a

medecin

Still,

nothing

could

be

more

delightful

than

after

three

or four

strenuous

days,

on each

of which

one

walked

perhaps

eight

or ten miles

of

trenches,

to

sit

before

that

funny

little

pool

in the French

meadow,

and

forget

there

was

a

war.

At

the

time

of

which

I

write,

the

Corps

which

formed

the

First

Army

were

the

nth,

the

1st and

the

4th.

The

3rd

had

gone

to

the

Battle

of the

Somme. The

1st

Corps

had

a

sniping

school, which,

at a

later

date,

reached an

extraordinarily

high

pitch

of

efficiency

under

Captain

Crang

and

the

late

Lieut.

Toovey,

the

author

of

The

Old

Drum

67

5*



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Major

and

well-known

Bisley

shot.

It

was

a

party

commanded

by

Captain

Crang

which

went

into

the

Portuguese

trenches,

where it

was

reported

the

Germans

were

showing

themselves

rather

freely,

and

made

a

big bag.

The

4th

Corps

also had

a

good

school,

but

they

soon moved out of

the

Army

to the

south.

In

fact,

when

I

first

went

there,

the

system

in

the

First

Army

was

that which I had

always

advo-

cated,

to have

Corps

Schools

of

sniping

and observa-

tion. The

difficulty,

of

course,

was that there

was

still

no

establishment,

and

that

sniping

schools

did

not

officially exist.

This was

quite

a

common

thing

in

the

war,

for

when

^

first

went

to

the

large

Third

Army

Infantry

School,

with

a

score of

instructors,

a

large

staff,

and

a

couple

of

hundred

N.C.O.

and

officer

pupils,

it

did not

exist

officially.

While

I

was

at

the

nth

Corps

School,

the

War

Office

at

last

officially

acknowledged

my

existence

as

a

sniping-officer

to

the

extent

that I received

my

pay,

which had been withheld

for

several

months.

After

various tours

of

inspection

and work

with

other

Army

Corps,

I

was

ordered

by

the

Army Com-

mander to form an

Army

School of

Sniping.

Greatly

rejoicing, Gray

and

I

borrowed

a

car

from the

Army

and set

out

to search

through

the

broad lands

of

the

Pas

de

Calais.

These

were

delightful

days,

but

search

as

we

would,

it

was

exceedingly

difficult

to

find

any

place

in

the

area

of

the

First

Army

which



EARLY

DAYS WITH

THE XI.

CORPS

would

suit

our

purpose.

It was

all too

flat.

I

remember

that we

once

very

nearly

decided

upon

a

queer

little

hill,

not

very

far

from

Hinges,

called

Mont

Bernenchon,

but

luckily

we

went

on

further

and at

last

came

to

the

village

of

Linghem.

Above

the

village

on a

high

plateau

lies an

old civilian

range

backed

by

a

large

rifle

butt.

The

plateau

on

which

the

range

is

situated

is

of

considerable

extent,

and

upon

its

slopes

(it

was

July)

bloomed

heather

and

gorse.

Why,

said

Gray,

the

place

is

trying

hard

to

be

like

Scotland 1

The

plateau

gave

us

a

range

of

eight

hundred

yards

and

plenty

of room

for

playing

fields,

which

the

Army

always

consider

to be

absolutely

necessary

to

the

well-being

of

a

school

one

reason,

I

think,

that

the

health

of

our

men

was

so

good.

Having

decided

that here

was

the

ideal

place

for

our

projected

First

Army

Sniping

School,

Gray

and

I

were

disgusted

to

see

the fresh tracks

of

a motor-

car. It

was

quite

clear

that

somebody

else

had

discovered

and had an

eye

upon

our

find.

We

did

not

even wait for

a

cup

of coffee

at

the local

estaminet

but

got

on

board our

car

and went full

speed

to

Army

Headquarters,

where

we informed

the

Staff

that

we

had

decided

upon

our

location,

and were

told

that

as

no

one

else

had

applied

for

it,

it

should

be ours.

We

were

only

just

in

time for as

we

afterwards

dis-

69



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

covered

the

Royal

Flying

Corps

had

decided

to

apply

for

it.

All's

well,

however,

that

ends

well,

and

a

little

later

on

we

left

the

nth

Corps

School with

great

regret,

and set

forth

on

a

lorry

for

Linghem

to

found

the

First

Army

Sniping

School.

Often

afterwards

I

used to

go

across

to

see how

things

were

getting along

at

the dear

old

nth

Corps

School. The last

time

I

was

there,

before

it

was

taken

over

by

a

Second

Army

formation,

it

was

a

wintry

day

with snow

falling.

I

must

say

that

I

was

glad

that

I

had never been attached

there

during

winter,

for

what

had been

a

smiling

cornfield

was

now

a

sea of

yellow

and

glutinous

mud.

The

little

becque

or

stream

which

ran

between

our

stop-butt

and

our

targets

had

overflowed,

and

Lieut.

Hands,

who had

succeeded

to

the command of the

school,

was

urging

some one

hundred

and

fifty

odd

German

prisoners

to

reconstruct

the

stop-butt

itself. The

scene

really

might

have

been

upon

the

German

Eastern

Front.

70



CHAPTER

IV

THE

FIRST ARMY SCHOOL

OF

SCOUTING,

OBSERVATION

AND

SNIPING

r

I

^HE

First

Army

Sniping

School

was

formed

1

for

the

purpose

of

training

officers,

who

might

act

as

Instructors

in

the

various

Corps

Schools,

Brigades

and

Battalions

throughout

the

Army.

The

system

of

Corps

Schools

was,

as I have

said,

peculiar

to

the

First

Army,

who,

for the

next

year

and

a

half,

turned out

three

snipers

to

any

other

Army's

one.

Further,

the

First

Army

School

became

recognized

throughout

the

B.E.F.

as

the

training

place

of

observers with

the

telescope.

Indeed,

at

a

later

date,

we were overwhelmed

with

applications

from

Corps

and

Divisions in other Armies

who

wished

to

send

observers for

a

course.

This was

especially

the

case

before

any

big

movement,

and we

might

almost

have

guessed

where

an

advance

was

con-

templated

by

the

applications

for the

training

of

observers

by

the

units

concerned.

However,

all this

occurred

at a

later

date,

and

I



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

must

pick

up

my

narrative

when

we

left the

nth

Corps

School

in the

lorry.

Those

who

were

to start

the

First

Army

School

got

aboard

after

an

early

breakfast.

They

were

only

six

in

number,

Lieut.

Gray,

Armourer

Staff-Sergeant

Carr,

Private Fen-

some

(an

extremely

capable

and

skilled

carpenter),

myself

and

two

batmen.

We

took

with

us

all

the

spares

we

could

obtain

from

the

nth

Corps

School

as

well as

a

lot

of

sniping

kit

belonging

to

Gray

and

myself.

As

we rode

through

the

country

in the

direction

of

Aire we

passed

a

huge

desolate

camp

which,

I

believe,

had

once

been

inhabited

by

Australians.

No

doubt

it

had

boasted

a

guard

at

one

time,

but

it

had now

fallen

into

sad

disrepair,

the

Flemish

peasantry

having

appropriated

all

the

stoves

and

most of the

wooden walls. A

little

further

on

we

came

upon

two

or

three

Armstrong

huts

standing

in

a

field

adjacent

to

the

deserted

camp,

and as

these

were

in better

preservation,

and we had

no

Armstrong

hut

of

our

own,

it

seemed

a

pity

to

leave them

for

the

French,

so we

set

to

and

took

one

down and

loaded it

on

the

lorry.

This

was,

no

doubt,

a

very

wrong thing

to

do,

but when

you

have

no

estab-

lishment,

you

can

have

no

conscience

either, or,

at

least,

if

you

allow

yourself

such

a

luxury

you

will find

that

your

job

becomes

impossible.

Presently

we rolled

into

Aire over

the canal

bridge,

72



THE

FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

OF

S.O.S.

which was afterwards

destroyed

by long-range

guns,

and in Aire

we made the little

purchases

which

are

necessary

for the formation

of

officers'

and

men's

messes. We then

passed

through

the

old

town

by

the

Cathedral.

Army

Headquarters

had

moved

away,

and

there was

now

only

the

Town

Major

and one

or

two

A.S.C.

columns in

possession.

On

the

far

side of Aire

we

took

the

Lambres

and

St. Hilaire

Road,

and

passed

on

through

the

level

country.

As

we turned off

through

Lambres,

we

saw,

rising

in

front of

us,

the

high

ridge

which

formed

the

plateau

on

which

our

school

was

to be

situated,

and

not

long

afterwards we rode into

the

village

of

Linghem.

The

lorry

then went

round

and disembarked

our

Arm-

strong

hut

upon

the

plateau,

where

we

at

once

erected

it,

and

a

fortunate

thing

it was

that we

did

so,

for that

night

there

were some

heavy

showers

of

rain

which

would have

destroyed

a

good

deal

of

our

kit,

and

more

especially

our

target-paper

and

dummy

heads,

had we

not

put

them

under

proper

shelter.

And

now,

I

think,

began

one of

the most inter-

esting

periods

which

I

spent

in France.

Various

fatigue

men

were

added

to

the

Staff,

and

a

working

party

from

the

Army

Service

Corps

was

sent

up.

We

were

rather

amused to see

that the men of this

working

party,

who had

been

well

behind the line

for

at

least

a

year

previously,

thought

it

quite

an

73



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

adventure

to

come

up

to

the

school. When

they

rolled

up

their

sleeves

for

digging,

we

noticed,

too,

that

their arms

were

white,

forming

in this

a

great

contrast

to our

fatigue

men.

It was

necessary

to

dig

trenches,

make

stop-butts,

build

snipers'

posts

and

observation

posts,

and

all

this

hard

work

the

A.S.C.

working

party

tackled with

extraordinary

energy.

We

put up

goal-posts,

and

they

had

a

game

of football

each

evening.

Several

of the

A.S.C.

party,

I

believe,

were

professional

football

players

of

repute.

But

it

would

be

tedious to

describe

the

growth

of

the

school

step

by

step.

Suffice

it to

say

that,

begin-

ning

with

a

class of

a

dozen

to fifteen

officers,

who

were dealt

with

by

two

officer

instructors,

our classes

grew

until

we

had

twenty-five

officers

and

forty

or

fifty

N.C.O.'s

at

each

course.

But

the

actual

teach-

ing

was

only

one side of the

work

of

the

school,

for

it

was soon

thoroughly

known

throughout

the

Army

that

if

any

Division,

Brigade

or

Battalion

wanted

its

telescopic

sights

tested,

or

if

any

individual

sniper

found himself

shooting

incorrectly,

all

that

had to

be

done

was to

apply

to

the

First

Army

Sniping

School.

The

divisional

snipers

came

up

in

'bus-

loads,

and

single

snipers

often

came

on

foot.

This

continual

testing

of rifles

kept

Armourer

Staff-

Sergeant

Carr

busy

both

on

the

range

and in

his

armourer's

shop.

Fortunately,

as

well

as

being

an

74



c/i

Q

|

c/i

o

E

u.

^

1

O u

-



THE

FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

OF S.O.S.

excellent

armourer,

Sergeant

Carr

was

also

a

shot

of

no

mean

order,

having

shot in

the

King's

Hundred

at

Bisley.

The

school

had not

been

long

in

existence before

the

Canadian

Corps

came

into

the

Army. They

were

then

holding

the

line

which

they

afterwards

immortalized

opposite

the

Vimy Ridge,

and we were

at

once struck

at the

school

by

their

great energy

and

keenness.

There

is

no doubt that as a

sniper,

scout

or

intelligence

officer,

the

Canadian shows

the

greatest

initiative,

and

during

the

long

period,

well

over

a

year,

which

they

remained in

the

Army,

our

school

was

voluntarily

visited

by

two

Canadians

for

every

one Britisher.

They

were

most extra-

ordinarily

helpful,

too,

and

if

ever I

wanted

the

services of some

Canadian

officer

for

a

particular

purpose, they

were almost

always

granted,

and

not

only

that,

but he was

on

the

spot

within

a

few

hours

of

my

application.

At

first the

greater

part

of

our

teaching

dealt

with

sniping,

but

as

time went

on the curriculum

was

much

extended.

Map

reading,

intelligence

work,

the

prismatic

compass,

the

range-finder,

in-

struction

on

crawling,

ju-jitsu

and

physical

drill

were all

added. In

addition to

these,

we

had

con-

tinual

demonstrations

of the

effect of

all

kinds of

bullets,

both

-British

and

German,

on

the

armoured

steel

plates

used

by

us

and

by

the

enemy.

We

formed

75



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

a

museum,

which

became

quite

famous,

and

in

which

were

various

exhibits

of German

and

British

sniping

paraphernalia.

We also

had

many

photographs,

and

again

and

again

officers

who

had

been

through

the

course

at the

school

sent

up

contributions.

It was

said

that

anyone

going

through

the

museum

could

really

gain

a

very

good

idea of the

development

of

sniping

during

the

war,

and this was

by

no

means

an

exaggeration.

I

soon

found

that the

officers and

men

who

came

to

the

school were

really

in need

of

a

clear

mental

change,

and this

we

attempted

to

provide

by

giving

long

hours

to

games.

For

many

months the school

was

unofficial,

but

at

last,

on

the

24th

November,

1916,

more

than

fifteen

months

after

I had

begun

serving

as a

sniping

officer,

we were

granted

a

provisional

establish-

ment.

Up

to

this

time,

it was

terribly

hard

to

keep

the

school

running,

not

to

speak

of

the

Corps

Schools,

which

were its

offshoots.

The

real

difficulty

was

that

when

each

division

moved,

all its

personnel

moved

with

it,

and

thus

it came

about

that,

seven

weeks

after

the

First

Army

School

was

started,

Lieut.

Gray's

division

moved

out

of

the

Army,

and

he

was

recalled

to

it

;

in

spite

of

applications

from

Headquarters

that

he

might

be

allowed

to

remain

and

continue

the

good

work

he

was

doing,

this

was

refused,

and

he

went

down

to the

Somme

to

be



s

11

.S

ll

i

Sen

81*

8

.

2 o

:i

s

s

I

Jil



THE

FIRST

ARMY SCHOOL

OF

S.O.S.

made officer

in

charge

of

trolleys,

or

sports,

or

some

such

appointment.

The mere fact that

he

was

a

King's

Prizeman

and

perhaps

the best

shot

and

the

most

capable

sniper

in

the

B.E.F.

made not

one

whit

of

difference.

All these

qualities

are,

no

doubt,

of

the

highest

use

in

an officer in

charge

of

trolleys

On

Gray's

departure

there set

in for

me a

very

strenuous

time,

for

at

the

same

moment the Com-

mandant

of

the

nth

Corps

School

was also

spirited

away.

I

found

an

officer

who

had been

through

the

course at

the

First

Army

School

to

take

his

place,

and

at the

same time

it became

necessary

to

find

a

Commandant

for

the

1st

Corps Sniping

School.

I

had

at this

time

no

assistant

myself,

and was

dealing

with

a

class

of

fifteen

officers,

as

well as

sometimes

as

many

as

fifty

snipers,

who

came

up

from

the

line

for a

day's

instruction.

My

N.C.O.'s,

however,

stepped

nobly

into

the

breach,

and

Armourer

Staff-

Sergeant

Carr

took over

the

explanation

of

telescopic

sights

work

which

lay

entirely

outside

his

duties.

At

that

time there

were ten or

fifteen

patterns

of

these

sights

in the

Army,

and

each

officer

on

the

course

had

to learn

to

manipulate

every

one

of

them.

In

fact,

the

course was

a

pretty

stiff

one, and,

over-

worked

as

I

was,

it

was

difficult

to be

certain

how

much

knowledge

the

officer

students

carried

away

with

them,

so

I

started

an

examination

paper

on

the

77



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

last

day,

which

was of

a

very

searching

nature.

The

full

marks were

a

hundred,

and this

paper

was

con-

tinued

until

the

school

closed

down

after

the

Armis-

tice.

Again

and

again

we

had

classes,

the least

successful

member

of

which

obtained

seventy-five

of

the

hundred

marks.

During

the

period

in

which

I

was

alone

after

Lieut.

Gray's departure,

an

officer

attended

the

school

who

became

my

assistant,

Lieut.

N.

Hands,

of

the

nth

Warwickshire

Regiment,

I had

great

difficulty

in

obtaining

his

services,

but

finally

his

General

exchanged

a

month

of

them

for some lectures

on

Sniping

by

me.

As

I

was taken

in

a

car to

and

from

the lectures

and

as

they

were

to

be

given

after

parade

hours,

it

did not

interfere with

my

work

this

was

a

very

pleasant

arrangement,

but

Hands

had

not been

with

me

long

when

there

was another

upheaval

at

the

nth

Corps

School.

The 6ist

Division

left,

and

Lieut.

Benoy,

who

was

in

charge

of

the

school,

left

with

it.

So

Hands went

across

and

took

over

the

nth

Corps

School.

He

afterwards

proceeded

with

the

nth

Corps

to

Italy,

where

he

was

awarded the

Military

Cross,

and did

fine

work.

However,

after

another

period

of

running

the

school

alone

on

Hands'

departure,

Army

Headquarters

sent

me

Second

Lieut.

Underhill,

of

the ist

K.S.L.L

Underhill had

been

wounded

at

Ypres,

and

came out

for

instructional duties.

The

story

of

his

being

sent

78



THE

FIRST

ARMY SCHOOL OF

S.O.S.

to

the

school

is an

amusing

one,

in the

light

of

after

experience,

for

he

was

the most tremendous

worker

that I

have

ever

known. He arrived

at

Army

Head-

quarters

at

eight

o'clock

in

the

morning,

and two

hours

later,

feeling

unhappy

at

still

having

nothing

to

do,

he

went

to the

G.S.O.i,

and asked if

he could

not

be

put

to

work.

The

G.S.O.i,

who

was

my

very

good

friend,

seeing

from

his

papers

that

Under-

hill

had

passed

through

Hythe,

and

was stated

to be

competent

as an

instructor,

sent

him out to

me,

and

thus it

was

that

I

at

last

obtained

a

permanent

assis-

tant,

and

a better no man could have had. Our

establishment

was

still

only

a

tentative

one,

and

it

was

not until

some months later

that

we

were

allowed

the

two

extra

officers

and four

extra

N.C.O.'s,

and

the

dozen

scouts

and

fatigue-men,

who

made

up

our staff.

Underhill

had,

by

that

time,

been

promoted

to

Temporary

Captain,

for

good

services,

and

became

Adjutant,

and

Captain

Kendall,

of the

4th

Warwick-

shire

Regiment,

who,

after

a

course

at

the

School,

had

become

attached

to the

Royal

Flying Corps

as

Intelligence

Officer,

took

over the

intelligence

duties

and

map

reading

at

the

school.

Lieut.

W.

B.

Curtis,

of

the

3

ist

Canadian

Infantry,

became

scouting

officer

:

he

had had

nearly

two

years'

experience

between

the

lines,

and had

been decorated

on

three

occasions.

79



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

Our

N.C.O.'s,

too,

were the

very

pick

of

the

Army.

There

was

Armourer-Staff

Sergeant

Carr,

Sergeant

Slade,

of

the

Essex

Yeomanry, Sergeant

Hicks,

of

the

1st

Rifle

Brigade,

and

Sergeant

Blaikley,

of

the

Artists'

Rifles. All

these

N.C.O.'s became

in time

amazingly

proficient

at

their

work.

I

have

never

heard

a

more

clear

exposition

of

the

compass

than

that

given

by Sergeant

Hicks,

who,

while

one

squad

was

firing,

would sit

down

under the

bank

with

the

other,

and

explain

to

them

all

the

mysteries

of the

magnetic

North.

The

physical

training

of

the

school was in

the

hands

of

Sergeant-Major

Betts

(Coldstream

Guards),

one

of

Colonel

Campbell's

magnificent

gymnastic

staff.

Sergeant

Blaikley,

who

had

drawn

for

Punch

from

time

to

time,

was

invaluable as

an

artist,

and it

was

he

who

drew

our

Christmas

card

Der

Sportsmann

depicting

a

German

gassing

stags

on a

Scottish

deer

forest.

This

picture,

which was

very

widely

circulated,

certainly

obtained the

flattery

of

imita-

tion,

as

the

same idea

was

used in

most

of

our

comic

papers

a

month or

two

afterwards.

Captain

Kendall

was

a

trained

surveyor,

and

an

artist

of

no

ordinary

merit.

Whatever

conundrum

was

brought

up by

officers

and

a

great

many

were

brought

up

Kendall,

in

his own

department,

was

certainly

unassailable.

80



THE

FIRST ARMY

SCHOOL

OF

S.O.S.

Besides

the officers

and

sergeants,

we had another

member of the staff

who

did

splendid

work. This

was

Corporal

Donald

Cameron

of

the

Lovat

Scouts.

Lord

Lovat

had visited the

school,

and

had

expressed

his

satisfaction

at

the

way

in

which

we were

teaching

observation and

the

use

of

the

telescope.

I

asked

Chri9tma

Card

(1917)

of

the

Firtt

Army

School

of

S.O.S.

Drawn

by

Ernest

Blaikley.

him

if

he

could

get

me a

really

good

stalker to

assist

me,

and he

very

kindly

promised

to

do

so. As one

of

his

own men could not

come,

he sent

me

Corporal

Cameron,

who

showed

the

greatest

keenness,

and

had,

I

think,

a

peculiar

affection

for

the

last

man over

the

stile.

If

ever

there

was

a

weak

member

in

learning

the

compass,

Cameron would

seek

him

out

and

explain

81

6



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

it.

The

results

were

wonderful,

and

certainly

saved

several

privates

from failure.

Cameron,

when

I

asked

him his

age

on

his

joining,

gave

it

as

offee-

cially

forty-one.

He was a

very

skilful

glassman,

and

as

such was

of

continual

assistance to

me.

I

remember

one

day

when

we

were

trying

some

aspirant

reinforcements

for Lovat

Scouts

Sharpshooters,

and

were

looking through

our

glasses

at

some

troops

in blue uniforms

about

six

thousand

yards

away,

most

of

the observers

reported

them as

troops

in

blue uniform

;

but

Cameron

pointed

out

that

they

were

Portuguese.

His

reasoning

was

simple.

They

must

be

either

Portuguese

or

French,

said

he,

and

as

they

are

wearing

the

British steel

helmet,

they

must

be

Portuguese.

On

my

establishment,

when

it

finally

came

along,

there

were

apportioned

to

me

three

scouts

among

the

eleven

privates

to

the

services

of whom

the

school

was entitled.

I

remember

these

eleven

privates

parading

for

the

first

time,

and

I

remember

also

attempting

to

pick

out,

with

Capt.

Underhill,

the

three

scouts. One

of

the

scouts

was

a

Salvation

Army

musician,

an excellent

fellow,

but

quite

unfit

for his

duties.

Another was an

ex-barber

of the White

Star

line,

and the

third

had

for

years

been unable

to

break into a

double.

As

the

work

of scouts

with

an

Army

School

is

of

supreme

importance,

since

one

uses

them to

personate

the

enemy

in

scouting

schemes,

82



THE

FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

OF

S.O.S.

the

employment

of

such

men

as

these

was

quite

im-

possible.

Good

fortune

here,

however,

came

to

our

aid,

for

some

performing

scouts from

G.H.Q.,

who

were

giving

demonstrations,

came

to

demonstrate

to

us,

and were

afterwards attached to

the school.

These

were

boys

under

nineteen,

and the

thcee

I

kept

ended

up

as

past

masters

of

their

work.

By

Armistice

Day

they

had

been

at the

school

for some

eighteen

months,

were

first-class

shots,

knew

every

detail

of

the

course,

and

could

pass

an

examination

equal

to

any

officer.

At

the

physical training

and

ju-

jitsu,

which

they

had

almost

every day,

they

were

really

young

terrors. In

fact,

I

remember

a

com-

mercial

joy-rider

who

was

visiting

the

school,

and

whom

I was

showing

round,

on

seeing

two of

the

boys

doing

ju-jitsu,

saying

with

infinite

tact

:

'Ere,

where do

you

live

when

you

are at

'ome

?

I'll

keep

clear

o'

your

street on

a

dark

night.

I

might

add

that all three

boys

were

accomplished

Association football

players,

so

that we

always

had a

really

first-class

centre

forward,

left

wing

and

half-

back

upon

the

premises.

Our

Association

team,

for

so

small

a

unit,

was

thus

a

very

strong

one,

though

it

might

have

been

much

stronger

had

not

so

many

of

the older

members

of the

staff

been wounded.

I

think the

only

other

member

of

the

staff

that I

need

mention is

Sergeant

Foster

of

the Canadians.

At

a

later

date,

it

became

our

duty

to train

the

Portu-

83

6*



SNIPING IN FRANCE

guese

Army

in

sniping

and

shooting,

and

Sergeant

Foster

spoke

a kind

of

Portuguese.

I have

given

at full

length

this account

of the

officers

and

N.C.O.'s

of

the

school,

because whatever

efficiency

the

school obtained

was founded

upon

their

selection.

Whenever

it

was

possible

to

do

so,

it

was

always

a

standing

order that

between

courses,

when

we

sometimes

had

from

two

days

to

a

week

free,

all

instructors

should

go

to

the line.

For this

purpose,

arrangements

were

made with different

battalions

to

receive

them.

This

kept

the school

in touch with

the

progress

of

events.

I

have

often

regretted

that

I

did

not

keep

a Visitors'

Book

at

the

First

Army

Sniping

School,

for

certainly

enormous

numbers

of

visitors came

to

us.

Outside

the

officers

of

the

B.E.F.,

of

whom several

hundred

visited

the

school,

we

had

attaches

and

missions

of

various

allied

and neutral

powers

Japanese,

Rou-

manian,

Dutch,

Spanish,

American,

Italian,

Portuguese,

Siamese

and

Polish

officers,

as

well

as

large

numbers

of

journalists,

from

whom,

when

they

were

not

our

own

accredited

correspondents,

I

used to conceal

a

good

deal

of

the more secret

parts

of

our work.

One

day,

however,

on

being

informed

by

the

officer-in-

charge

of

the

correspondents

that

they

were

perfectly

safe,

and that I

could

show them

anything,

I showed

them

a

small new invention

by

which we were

able

to

spot

the

position

of

German

snipers.

I

carefully

warned



THE

FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL OF

S.O.S.

them

that it

was not to

be

written

about,

but

about

three months later I

saw

a

large

and

glaring

article

describing

the

visit

of

one

of

these

journalists

to

the

school.

The

description

of

the invention could have

been

of little

interest to the

great public

which he

served,

but it

was

there,

carefully

set

out.

This

was

the

only

case

of

a

definitely-broken

promise

of

this

nature

which

I

came

across

during

the

war.

Our

own

correspondents,

Valentine

Williams

(afterwards

Captain

Valentine

Williams,

M.C.),

Philip

Gibbs,

Beach

Thomas,

Perry

Robinson,

H.

M.

Tomlinson,

Prevost

Battersby,

Percival

Phillips,

and

others

who

came

after

I

left

G.H.Q.,

were

welcome and

trusted

throughout

the

whole

Army.

The

feeling

in

the

Army

against

the

Press

for

there

certainly

was,

at

one

period,

such

a

feeling

is

really

very

often a rather

stupid

pose

adopted

by

the

younger

officers,

who

usually

copy

some

downright

senior

;

but

it

will

always

remain as

long

as

journalistic

mistakes

are

made

and that

will

be

as

long

as

wars

last.

Outside the

members of

the

staff,

we had

help

from

time

to

time from

various

officers

who

were attached

for

short

periods

of

duty. Among

these was

Major

A.

Buxton,

D.S.O.,

of

the Essex

Yeomanry,

who took

two

classes

of

Lovat Scouts

in

observation.

He

was,

I

believe,

the

only

officer

who

was

habitually

successful

in

catching

trout

in

the French streams.

Second

Lieut.

C.

B.

Macpherson

of

Balavil,

a

true

expert

85



SNIPING IN FRANCE

with

the

telescope

and

map,

was

also attached to

the

school

for

a

time.

He

came

out

at

the

age

of

sixty-

two

with

his

splendidly

trained

group

of

Lovat

Scouts

Sharpshooters.

Another

officer

who was

temporarily

attached to the

staff was

Capt.

T.

B. Barrie

of

the

Canadian

High-

landers.

He

first

came

to

the

school

on

a

course,

and

was

afterwards

lent

to

me

by

the

Canadian

4th

Division.

Shortly

after

his first visit to the school

he

gained

two

M.C/s

in

a

fortnight,

both

in

raids,

in one of

which

he

penetrated

six

hundred

yards

behind

the

German

line.

There

can

have been

few

more

gallant

officers

in

France,

and his

death

later in the war

was

a

matter

of

deep

regret

to all

who

knew

him.

One

day

Major-General

the

Hon.

W.

Lambton,

commanding

the

4th

Division with which

I had

begun

my

sniping

duties

in

1915,

came

to

the

school.

His

division was then

in

one of

the

other

armies,

but

he

wished

to

have

observers

trained,

and

sent

up

a

party

under Lieut.

Kingsley

Conan

Doyle,

of

the

Hampshire

Regiment,

the

son

of

Sir

Arthur

Conan

Doyle,

and

one

of

the

best

observation

officers

we

had at

any

time. Conan

Doyle

possessed

an

extra-

ordinary facility

for

teaching

and

was

most successful

with one

or

two

classes

of Lovat

Scouts

which

he took.

He

went back to

his

Division,

was

promoted

to

Captain,

and

acted

in

charge

of

the

Divisional Battle

Observers

in

the

big

battles

of

1917.

It is

tragic

to

think

that



THE

FIRST

ARMY SCHOOL OF

S.O.S.

when the

order

came

out for

all medical students

to

return to

complete

their

studies

Capt.

Conan

Doyle

went

back to

England

;

there he

contracted influenza

and died.

This

has

always

seemed to

me

one

of

the

saddest

things

in

the war

to

have

gone through

so

much,

to

have

rendered

such

good

service,

and

finally

to be

struck

down

by

the

horrible influenza

germ

instead

of

the

German

shells

among

which

he

had walked

about so

unconcernedly.

I have

now

given

you

a

somewhat

rambling

account

of

the

formation,

and

of

those

who were

chiefly

connected with

the

early days,

of

the

First

Army

Sniping

School.

On the

very

day

on

which

it

was

founded,

Sir

Charles

Monro

left

France

to take

up

his

appointment

as

Commander-in-Chief

of

the

Forces

in

India.

Sir

Richard

Haking

succeeded

to

the

tem-

porary

command

of

the

Army,

and as

it

happened

was

the

very

first

visitor

who

ever came

to

First

Army

School. He

told

us that

the

King

was

coming

almost

at

once

into

the

Army

area,

and

that he

wished

Gray

and

myself

to

go

back

to the

nth

Corps

School

to

prepare

for

a

Royal

Inspection.

This we

did,

but

unfortunately

the

King

was held

up

in

Bethune

by

shelling,

so

that there

was

no

time

for

him

to

visit

us.

We

greatly

regretted

this,

as

a

Royal

visit would

have

been

of

enormous

value to

sniping

at that

time.

One

visitor

who came

to

the

school

was

of

peculiar

interest

to

me.

This

was

my

old

friend Sir

Arthur

87



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Pearson,

who arrived

accompanied

by

his

son,

whom

I

had

last

seen at

the

Boys'

Cricket

classes

at

Lord's

when

he

was

first in the

running

for

the Eton

Eleven,

of

which

he

was

afterwards

Captain.

He was

now

an

officer

in the

R.H.A. Sir

Arthur

Pearson

went

over

the

whole school

and

asked me

many questions.

Though

he

could

not,

of

course,

see

the

loopholes

and

all

the rather

technical

work which I

explained

to

him,

it

was

perfectly

amazing

to

realize

the

way

in

which

he

gripped

it in

its

essentials.

I think

that

he

knew

more

about

sniping,

scouting

and observa-

tion

after the

hour

or two he

spent

at

the

school

than I have

known

other

men

gather

in

a

week.

The

only

ladies

who

visited us

were Mrs.

Humphry

Ward

and

her

daughter.

It

was

terrible

weather

when

they

came and

the

little

path

which

led

up

to

the

range,

and which was

really

more

or less the

bed

of a

stream,

had become

a

glacier

of ice

several

feet

in

thickness. On

the

range

the

wind was

blowing

exceedingly

cold,

and

few

worse

days

could

have

been

picked

for a

visit. I

remember

Mrs.

Ward

saying

to

me

that she

thought

sniping

the terrible

and

ruthless

killing

of

men with

weapons

of

precision

one

of

the

most

dreadful

sides

of the war.

I

pointed

out to her

the

life-saving

side

of

sniping,

and

how

many

hundreds

and

probably

thousands

of

British

officers

and

men

were

alive at

that moment

who,

if

it

were

not

for

our

snipers,

would

have

88



;

/.^-Vv*

'

:'j

mm

l\

<

JS

ii



THE

FIRST ARMY

SCHOOL

OF

S.O.S.

been killed

by

the

Germans.

Mrs. Ward

quite

saw

the force

of this

argument

and

wrote

a

most

admirable

account

of

her

visit

to the

school.

I

saw

this

in

proof,

but when

it

appeared

the censors

had

clearly

cut out

a

certain

amount.

Why

they

had

cut

it

out

no one

could

ever

tell.

We

had at that

time

a

good

number

of

snipers'

robes of

painted

canvas at

the school. The Germans

had

somewhat

similar

robes

and both

sides

knew that

the

other was

using

them

;

but

the

British

Censorship

would never

allow

any

mention

of these robes.

You

might

mention

something

really

important,

some

new

invention,

or the effect

of some new

bullet,

or

any

other

matter

which

would

be

of

real

assistance to

the

Germans,

but these

robes

were the

one

thing

which

seemed to

interest

the Press

Censorship.

Speaking

as

an

Officer-

in-charge

of a

very

technical

branch

of

work,

I can

only say

that

the

Censorship

was

at

times

just

like

an

ostrich

hiding

its

head

in

the

sand.

Mrs.

Humphry

Ward went

over

the

whole

school,

and I

must

say

that

her

questions

probed

our

work

more

deeply

than those

of

the

average

sight-seeing

officer

who visited

us.

Apart

from visitors who came

for various

purposes

to

see

the

school,

we

had

also

several officers

who

came

on

duty.

Among

these was

Col.

the

Hon.

T.

F.

Fremantle,

now

Lord

Cottesloe.

Lord

Cottesloe

knew

more of

telescopic

sights

and

rifle

shooting

than

89



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

did

any

of

us

at

the

school,

and there

can

be

no

doubt

whatever that

his

visit was of

the

greatest

assistance

to

us. With

him came

Lieut.

-Col.

Robinson,

who

was

in

charge

of the manufacture

of

telescopic sights

at

Enfield,

and

who did so

much

to

assist

us

in

a

hundred different

ways.

I

never had

the

opportunity

of

visiting

the

school

in

England

of

which

Lord

Cottesloe

was the

Commandant,

but

I had

many

officers and

men

who

had

received

a

sound

grounding

there.

Lieut.

-Col.

P.

W.

Richardson,

the

well-known

Bisley

shot,

also

visited the school.

He

was

interested

in

sniping

from

the

very

earliest

days,

and

was

pro-

bably

the

first

officer

to

advocate

schools for the

teaching

of

shooting

with

telescopic

sights.

One

evening

after

the school

had

been

running

well

over

a

year

I was

sitting

by

the

mess-room

fire

when a

couple

of

officers wfcre

shown

in. Both

were

wearing

Burberrys,

so that I was not

able

to

see

their

rank,

but both

were

very young-looking.

One

of them said

:

We

looked

in to have

a talk

to

you

about

schools,

for

we

are

going

to

start

one.

What

we

want

to

know

is,

how this school

manages

to

get

everyone

who comes

to

it

so damned

keen

on their

job

?

I

pointed

out that

we

had a

really

interesting subject

to

teach,

and

enlarged

upon

the

great

theory

that

I

always

used

to

hold

that

you

did

not

want

to

have



THE

FIRST ARMY

SCHOOL

OF S.O.S.

officers on

a

course too near

a

big

town.

If

you

have

a

good

subject

to

teach,

and can teach it

intelligently,

you

ought

to be

able

to

interest them

enough

in the

course

to

keep

their

minds

at

work,

especially

if

you

have

at

least

two hours'

games

for

those

who

want

them

every

afternoon. If

you

are

near a

big

town,

it

means

dinners and sweet

champagne,

and other

things

which

do

not

conduce to accurate

shooting.

Our

school

was

rather

more than

four

kilometres

from

Aire,

and no

one was

allowed

to

go

there without

a

pass.

A

pass

could be

had

by

any

officer

for

the

asking,

but

I

found

that,

once the course

got

its

grip,

except

on

Sunday,

Aire

was

very

little

visited.

My

two

visitors then

ran

through

the curriculum

of

the

school

with

me,

and

as

the room

was

hot,

re-

moved their

Burberrys.

I

then

realized

how

great

a

compliment

had been

paid

to

the

School,

for both

were

regular

soldiers

of

long

service

as

I

could

tell

from

their

decorations

and

medals

and

high

rank.

Presently,

they

went,

and I

never

saw

them

again,

nor

did I

learn

their

names,

but

we

always

thought

that

their

visit was

about

the

highest

compliment

ever

paid

to

the

First

Army

School

of

S.O.S.

One

point

that

certainly

struck

us

in

our

first

coming

to

Linghem

was the

delight

of

the

inhabitants

in

getting

a

permanent

school

quartered

in

their

village.

This,

of

course,

meant

prosperity

to

them.

They

had

previously

had

one

or

two

battalions,

and



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

there

was still

a

large

notice affixed on one

of

the

houses,

Billet

Officer,

but when

we

came

they

had

had

no

British soldiers

for

the last

six months.

We were welcomed

with

open

arms. White wine

which started

the war

at

90

centimes was

1.50

a

bottle.

Eggs,

fruit,

and

everything

else were

cheap.

When

we

left

in

1918,

that same white

wine

was

10

francs

a

bottle,

and even

a

potato

was

hard indeed

to

come

by.

We

owed

much

to

the

courtesy

of

the

Secretary

to

the

Maire,

M.

Huart,

who

smoothed

away

every

kind of

difficulty.

That occasional

difficulties should

arise is

natural

enough,

but

the

French were for

the

most

part

extraordinarily

kind.

Here

and

there,

of

course,

one

came

across

difficult

people,

as

for

instance,

the

determined

lady

who,

when

a

Portuguese

class

was

quartered

in

the

village,

finding

that

they

drank

no

beer at her estaminet

for the

Portuguese

do

not

drink

beer,

and

the

lo-franc

vin

blanc

was rather

beyond

them

refused

to

allow

them to

draw water

at her

well,

although

it was

the

only

decent one

in

the

village.

I had

an interview

with the

lady,

at

which

she

wept copious

floods

of

tears,

and

said that

the

Sergeant

who

had

reported

the

matter

to me

was

a

diable,

who

had

always

disliked

her

from

the

first

day

that

he saw

her.

But

she

ultimately,

of

course,

had

to

give

in,

under

threat

of

having

a

permanent

guard

placed

upon

the

well.

92



b

6

I

X

H

&



THE

FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

OF

S.O.S.

I

have often marvelled

how

little

friction

there

really

was

between

us

and

the

French. If

a

French

Army

were

quartered

in

England

in

the same

way

that

we

were

quartered

in

France,

I

do

not

for

a

moment

believe

that our

people

would

show

towards

them

the

same

kindness

and

consideration

which we

received

from

the

French.

When

Gray

and

I

had

spent

seven

very

strenuous

weeks at

the

Army

School

we

were

both

granted

eight

days'

leave.

Immediately

on

our

return

we

were

inspected

by

Sir

Henry

Home,

the new

Army

Commander,

who

came

out

many

times

afterwards.

It was

always

a

matter

of

pride

to

the

School

to

have

some

new

thing

to

show

to

the

Army

Commander.

On

one

occasion Lord

Home

inspected

some

Lovat

Scouts whom we

were

training

as

reinforcements

for

our

Army

Groups,

and

after this

an

order came

through

to

us to

hold

ourselves

ready

to

train

all

reinforcements

for

Lovat

Scouts

throughout

the

B.E.F.

How

much

Lord Home did

to

encourage

and

help

the

School

no

words can describe.

At this

time

also,

or

a little

later,

Major-General

Hastings

Anderson was

appointed

Chief

of

Staff

at

First

Army

Headquarters.

93



CHAPTER

V

SOME

SNIPING

MEMORIES

t

yl

THEN

first

I came

into the

First

Army

area

the

main

point

which

struck

me

was

the

difference

between

the

trenches

where

my

work

now

lay

and

those of

the

Third

Army.

The

Third

Army

had,

of

course,

taken

over

from the

French,

and

their trenches

were

really

in

the

nature of

deep

ditches,

without

any

vast

amount

of

sandbags.

Sometimes

these

trenches extended

through

a

clayey

formation,

but

more often

they

were

in

chalk. This chalk made

front

line observation

in

the

bright

sunlight

some-

what

trying,

as

there

was

always

a

dazzle

in

the

rays

reflected

from

the

white

background.

In

the Third

Army

area

also

the

ground

was

rolling,

and it

was

nearly

always

possible

to obtain

some

kind

of a

position

of

vantage

behind

the

parados.

For this

purpose

I

had

had

a

special

portable

loophole

made,

shaped

something

in the

form

of a

wide

triangle,

but

the

back

shutter

of

which

slid

along

in

grooves.

This

back

shutter

was

made

of

steel

and

formed

a

very

fine

protection,

as

even

if

an

enemy

sniper

put

a

bullet

94



a.

j

z

V

c/j

c

UJ

v



SOME

SNIPING

MEMORIES

through

the

front

loophole,

the

bullet was

stopped

by

the

sliding

shutter

behind,

unless,

that

is,

the

shot

happened

to be

fired

a

twenty

to

one chance

along

the exact line in

which one was

looking

through

the

two

loopholes.

A

good

many

of

these

loopholes

were

used

in

the

Third

Army,

but

I

found

that conditions

in

the

First

Army

rendered them

of

no

great

value.

The

First

Army

were

holding

from

just

south

of

Armentieres

down to

Vimy

Ridge,

and

subsequently

it held almost to

Arras,

but

at

this

time their

lines

did

not

stretch

so

far

south.

All

the

northern

part

of

their trench

system

was

in

an

absolutely

flat

plain,

where

trenches were

shallow

owing

to

the

presence

of

water

at no

great

depth

underground,

and

were

really

much more

in

the

nature

of

breastworks.

In

most

places

it

was

useless to

go

out

behind

the

parados,

as

the

ground

was

so

low

that

you

got

no

view.

This

refers,

at

any

rate,

to all

the

northern

line,

after

which

we

entered

the

coal

region,

where

posts

could

be

dug

in

the

slag-heaps

and

in the

ruins

of

shelled

buildings.

As

a

rule,

to

put

a

post

in a

shelled

building

in

the

northern

part

of

the line

was

simply

to

court

disaster,

as

these

buildings,

where

they

were

near

enough

to

the

line

to

admit

of

sniping,

were

continually

shelled

and

sprayed

with

machine-gun

bullets.

But

further

south

buildings

were

more

common

and

might

be

made

use

of.

As

a

rule,

however,

I

found

that the

placing

of

sniping posts

in

95



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

either

buildings

or

trees

was

a

mistake.

For

once

such

posts

were discovered

by

the

enemy

he

had little

difficulty

in

ticking

them

off

on his

map

and

de-

molishing

them.

Of

course

the

same

was

true of

posts

in

more

open

ground,

but

these

were

much

harder

to

spot

and

it is

better

to be

shelled

in

the

open

ground

than

in

a

house

where

you

are

liable

to be

hurt

by

falling

bricks,

etc.

The

problem

then

that

the First

Army

line

pre-

sented

was

an

interesting

one,

and

I

have

always

thought

it much the

most difficult line to

organize

for

sniping

of

which

I

had

knowledge.

Having

learned

my

work in

the

trenches

of

the

Third

Army

I found

that in

the

First

Army

I

had

first of

all

to unlearn

a

great

deal.

The

problem

was

essentially

different,

but

after

a

year's

experience,

during

which

practically

every

portion

of

the

Front

was

visited,

one

collected

a

great

number

of

ruses and

plans.

Still

at

first

to

put

a concealed

loophole

into

the

Fauquissart

or

Neuve

Chapelle

breastworks

was

a

really

difficult

problem,

which

indeed

was

only

solved

when,

as

I

have

explained

in

an earlier

chapter,

Gray's

Boards

were

invented. These were

im-

mediately

successful,

and from

the

time

that

they

were

first

used,

it

was

easier to make

a

good

loophole

in

the breastworks

than

in

any

other

part

of

our

line.

There were

here

and

there,

all

along

the

Army

front,

what

may

be known as

bad

spots,

that

is,

places

96



SOME

SNIPING

MEMORIES

where,

through

some

advantage

of

ground,

the

enemy

dominated

us.

In

such

places

our

snipers

had

to

redouble their

efforts,

and even

then

the

enemy

remained a

thorn

in

our

sides.

There

were

other

places,

of

course,

where

we had

an

equivalent

advan-

tage,

and

there

we were

soon

able to force

the

Germans

to live

an

absolutely troglodytic

existence.

In

fact

orders

were

published

in

the

German

army

on

some

fronts,

that when

a

man

was

off

duty

he

was

to

remain

in

a

dug-out.

Of

course

the

greatest difficulty

that

we had

was

the

continual

movement

of divisions.

A

division

would

just

be

settling

down

comfortably

and

getting

its

sniping

into

good

order,

when

it

would

be

ordered

to

depart

to

another

Army,

and

the

incoming

division

would

almost

always

succeed

in

giving

away

some

of

the

posts.

This

was

a

necessary

evil,

and

could not

be

helped,

but the

advent

of a

single

really

bad

sniping

division

gave

an

immense

amount

of

extra

work.

It

was

exactly

as

if

a

party

of

really

capable

sportsmen

were

shooting

an

area

for

big game,

or,

better

still,

a

Scottish

deer

forest.

Imagine

these

sportsmen

re-

placed

by

careless

and

ignorant

tourists. The

ground

would

inevitably

be

maltreated,

the

wrong

beasts

shot,

corries

shot when the wind

was

unfavourable,

and

all

the

deer

stampeded

onto the

next

forest.

Of

course

in

this

case

the

deer

did not

stampede,

but

plucked

up

courage

and

shot

back.

97 7



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

This

condition

of

things

was

of

course

impossible

to

remedy,

but

we

were

luckier than other

Armies,

since

our

southern

wing

was

formed

by

the

Canadian

Corps,

who

had

the

same

trenches

for

fifteen

months,

and

who

never

changed

their

divisions.

In

this

Corps

many

of

the

reliefs worked

beautifully,

the

incoming

and

the

outgoing

sniping

officers

being

thoroughly

in

accord

with

each

other.

Major

Armstrong,

a

well-

known

British

Columbian

big-game

shot,

was

Corps

Sniping

Officer,

and there was

no keener.

Of course

it

must

be

understood,

as

I have tried

to

explain

before,

that

in

writing

this

book I realize

that

my point

of

view

is an

exceedingly

narrow

one,

and

that

I

look

at

everything

from

the

point

of an

officer

whose

business

it

was

to consider

sniping,

observation

and

scouting

of

paramount

importance.

We were

continually

getting

new

snipers

who

took

the

places

of

those

who

had

either

become

casualties,

or

had

been

put

to

other

work. New

snipers

were

nearly

always

optimistic,

and

it

was

quite

a common

thing

for

them

to

think

that

they

were

doing

the

enemy

much

more damage

than

was

really

the

case.

A

conversation

has

been known

to

run

as

follows

:

Morning,

you

two

Good

morning,

sir.

Anything

doing

?

'

Smith

got

a

'un

this

morning,

sir.



SOME

SNIPING MEMORIES

Good.

How

do

you

know

?

He

give

a

cry,

threw

up

his

hands

and

fell back.

Now

this

may

have been

correct,

but,

as

a

matter

of

fact,

continued

observation showed

that

a

man

shot

in

ordinary

trench

warfare

very very rarely

either

threw

up

his hands

or

fell back.

He

nearly

always

fell

forward

and

slipped

down.

For

this

the

old

Greek

rendering

is

best,

And his

knees

were

loosened.

We

soon

found

that

a

very

skilled

man

with

a tele-

scope

could

tell

pretty

accurately

whether

a man

fired

at

had

been

hit,

or

had

merely

ducked,

and this

was

the

case

even when

only

the

head

of

the

target

was

visible

;

but

to be certain

of

his

accuracy,

it was

necessary

that

the

observer

should have

had

a

long

experience

of

his

work,

coupled

with

real

aptitude

for

it.

The

idea

of

how

to

spot

whether

a German

was

hit

or

not

was

suggested

by

big-game

shooting

experiences.

An

animal which

is

fired

at and

missed

always

stands tense for

the

fraction

of a second

before

it

bounds

away,

but

when

an

animal

is

struck

by

the

bullet

there is no

pause.

It

bounds

away

at

once

on

the

impact,

or

falls.

Thus,

a

stag

shot

through

the

heart

commences

his

death

rush at

once,

to fall dead

within

fifty yards,

whereas

a

stag

missed

gives

that

tell-tale

sudden

start.

In

dealing

with trench warfare

sniping

a

very

99

7*



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

capable

observer

soon

learned

to

distinguish

a

hit

from

a

miss,

but

there

were

naturally

many

observers

who

never

reached the

necessary

degree

of

skill. A

reason

once

advanced

for

claiming

a hit

was

that the

Germans

had been

shouting

for

stretcher-bearers,

but

a

question

as to

what

was

the

German

word for stretcher-bearer

brought

confusion

upon

the

young

sniper,

whose

talents were

promptly

used elsewhere

But taken

long

by

broad

the

accuracy

of

the

in-

formation

given

by

snipers

was

really

wonderful.

On

one

occasion the

snipers

of

the

33rd

Division

reported

that

two

Germans

had

been

seen

with

the

number

79

upon

their

helmets.

This information

went

from

Battalion,

through Brigade,

Division

and

Corps,

to

Army,

who rather

pooh-poohed

the

snipers'

accuracy,

as

the

79th,

when

last heard

of,

had

been

upon

the

Russian

front.

Within

a

day

or

two,

however,

the

Germans

opposite

the

battalion

to

which

these

snipers

belonged

sent a

patrol

out

of

their

trenches

one

misty

morning.

The

patrol

fell in with

our

scouts,

who killed

two and

carried

back

the

regulation

identifications.

These

proved

the

sentries

to be

correct.

It

was

in

the

same

Division that

in

ane

tour

of

duty

the

snipers

reported

the

cap-bands

of

the

Germans

opposite

as

:

(i)

brown

;

(2)

yellow

;

(3)

white.

This

again

raised

a

doubt

as

to

their

accuracy

;

the

matter

was

interesting,

as it

seemed

possible

that



SOME SNIPING MEMORIES

the

trenches had been taken over

by

dismounted

Uhlans.

But before

long

the

snipers

were

once

again

justified.

A

prisoner

was

taken,

who

acknowledged

that

the men

of

his

unit

had,

under

orders,

covered

the state

badges

on

their

caps

with

strips

of

tape

wound round

and

round

the brims.

Prior to

putting

on

this

tape,

he

said,

many

of his

comrades had

dipped

it

in their coffee.

It

is

only

fair

to

say

that

the

sniping

officer

of

the

division

in

question

was Lieut.

Gray,

and

the

ex-

ceeding

skill

of

the officers

and

men under him

may

fairly

be

laid

at

his door.

There

was in

the

trenches

a

very

simple way

of

testing

the

accuracy

of

the

sniper's

observation.

The

various

German

States,

Duchies or

Kingdoms

all

wore

two

badges

on

their

caps,

one

above

the

other,

the

higher

being

the

Imperial

badge

and

the lower

the

badge

of

the

State.

Thus,

the

Prussian

badge

is

black and

white,

the

Bavarian

light

blue

and

white

;

the

Saxon,

green

and

white.

These

badges

or,

to be

more

correct,

cockades,

are

not

larger

than

a

shilling,

and

the

colours are

in

concentric

rings.

A

series

of

experiments

carried

out

at

First

Army

School

by

the

Staff

and

some

of

the

best

Lovat

Scouts

proved

that

these

colours were

indistinguisable

with

the best

Ross

telescope

at a

distance

of

more than

150

yards,

except

under

the

most

favourable

circumstances.

So

if

ever a

sniper (who,

of

course,

knew

what

troops

101



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

he

was faced

by)

reported

the

colours

of

cockades

when

more than

150

yards

from

the

enemy,

it

was at

once clear

that

his

imagination

was

too

strong

to

admit

of

his

useful

employment

with an

observer's

telescope.

Another

great

duty

of

snipers

was the

blinding

of

the

enemy.

Thus,

if

the

Germans bombarded

any

portion

of our

front,

their

artillery

observers almost

always

did

their work from

the

flank,

where

very

often

from

the

front line

or from

some other

point

of

vantage

they

spotted

and

corrected

the

shell

bursts

of their

gunners.

On

such occasions

our

snipers

opposite

both

flanks

of

the

bombarded

area

broke the

periscopes

of

the

German

observers,

and

thus

often

succeeded in either

rendering

them

blind,

or

forcing

them

to

take

risks.

When

Germans retaliated

and

shot

our

periscopes,

we

had

a

number

of

dummies

made,

and

by

taking

the

entry

and

exit

of

the bullet

through

the back

and

front

of

these,

we

were

able to

spot

many

posts

from

which

the

Germans

were

firing.

The result was

that

the

enemy

suffered

casualties.

It

is,

in

fact,

not

too

much

to

say

that

in

these

ways

we

were

able

from

very

early

days

to

place

the

position

of

any

sniper

who

troubled

us,

and,

once

placed,

there

were

many

methods

by

which

the

man

could

be rendered

harmless.

Another

point

that was not without

interest

was

the

fact

that

occasionally,

and

apparently

for

no

reason,

the

Germans

sighted

their

rifles

by

firing

at

102



SOME

SNIPING

MEMORIES

marks

upon

our

parapets.

If

they

did

this

in a

high

wind,

it

might

have been

possible

that

they

were

trying

to

get

the correct

wind

allowance to

put

on

their

rifles

;

but

as

they

often did

it,

and

it

happened

all

along

the

line

on

a

still

morning,

we

felt

we

must

seek

some

other

explanation.

Collaboration

with

Intelligence

proved

that

this

orgy

of

rifle

sighting

seemed

to

coincide

with

the

relief

by

one

battalion

of

another

in

the

trenches.

It was

one

of the

many

little straws

which showed which

way

the

wind

was

blowing.

The

psychology

of

the different

races

of

snipers

was

always

interesting.

The

English

were

sound,

exceedingly

unimaginative,

and

very

apt

to

take the

most foolish

and

useless

risks,

showing

their

heads

unnecessarily,

and

out

of

a

kind

of

unthinking

optimism.

Nor

did

the

death of their

comrades

cause

them

to

keep

their heads

down,

except

in

the

particular

place

where a man

had

been

killed.

Unimaginativeness

is

a

great

quality

in

war,

but

when

one

is

playing

a

very

close

game,

in

which

no

points

can

be

given

away,

between skilled

antagonists

as

we

were

doing

in

sniping,

one

sometimes

wished

for

a

little

less

wooden-

headed

bravery

so-called

and

a

little

more

finesse.

The

Welsh

were

very

good

indeed,

their

38th

Division

keeping

a

special

sniper's

book,

and their

sniping

officer.

Captain Johnson,

was

very

able.

I

103



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

think that in

early

1918,

the

snipers

of

this

Division

had

accounted

for

387

Germans in

trench-warfare.

The

Canadians,

the

Anzacs,

and

the

Scottish

Regiments

were

all

splendid,

many

units

showing

an

aggressiveness

which

had the

greatest

effect on

the

moral

of the

enemy.

Of the

Australians I

had,

to

my deep

regret,

no

experience,

but

they

always

had

the

name of

being

very good

indeed.

The

Americans

were

also

fine

shots,

and

thoroughly

enjoyed

their

work,

but

my experience

of

them

lay

simply

in

teaching

at

the

school,

and I

never had

the

opportunity

of

seeing

them

in action.

Of

the

Germans

as a

whole

one

would

say

that,

with

certain

brilliant

exceptions,

they

were

quite

sound,

but

rather

unenterprising,

and

that as

far

as

the

various

tribes were

concerned,

the

Bavarians

were

better

than

the

Prussians,

while some

Saxon

units

were

really

first-rate.

I

remember

once

being

in

the

trenches

at

Ploeg-

steert

Wood,

where the

Saxons

were

against

us,

and

our

fellows

were

talking

about them

being

good

old

fellows. All the

same,

it did not

do

to

show

the

breadth of

your

forehead

to

the

good

old

fellows,

for

they

were

really

admirable

shots.

Somehow or

other

this idea of the

good

old

fellow

rather

stuck

in

my

mind,

and

I

used

to

picture

Fritz

the

sniper

as

a

stout and

careful

middle-aged

man,

who

sat in

-his

steel

box

with

a

rifle,

took no

chances,

and

carried

104



SOME SNIPING

MEMORIES

on his

work

like a

respectable

tradesman.

This idea

of

the

fat

bearded

sniper,

however,

was

not

supported

by

the

telescope,

through

which

I saw

some

of

the most

desperate

and

bedraggled-looking

snipers

that

one

could

wish

to

see.

Those

who sometimes

got

outside

their own

lines

were,

however,

I

think,

rather the

wild

boys,

and after

we

got

rid

of

them

the

Germans

fell

back

upon

a kind

of sober

rifle

fire

which

made

up

the

main bulk

of

their

sniping.

One

point

that

was

noticeable

was

the

good

focussing

powers

of

the

German

snipers

of

certain

regiments,

who shot

very

well

before

dawn and

to-

wards

dark. In the

very

crack

Jager regiments,

such

regiments

as

were,

I

suppose,

recruited

from

Rominten

or

Hubertusstock

districts,

where the

great

preserves

of

the Kaiser

lay,

and in

which were

a

large

percentage

of

Forest

Guards,

this was

very

noticeable.

But

for

long

distance

work,

and

the

higher

art of

observation,

the

Germans

had

nothing

to

touch our

Lovat

Scouts.

This

is

natural

enough

when

one comes to

consider

the

dark

forests in

which

the

German

Forest

Guards

live,

and

in which

they

keep

on the alert

for

the

slightest

movement

of

deer or

boar.

Mostly

game

is

seen

within

fifty

or

seventy

yards,

or even

closer,

in

these

sombre

shades,

and

then

it is

only

the

twitching

of

an

ear

or

the

movement

of an

antler

lifted in

the

gloaming.

Compare

the

open

Scottish

hills. It

was

the

telescope against

the

field-glass,

and the

telescope

105



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

won

every

time.

In

fact,

in all

the

time

I

was

in

the

trenches,

I never

saw

a

German

telescope,

whereas

I saw hundreds

and

hundreds

of

pairs

of

field-glasses.

Now

the

best

field-glass

cannot

compare

with

the

telescope.

Anyone

who

has tried to count

the

points

on the

antlers

of

a

stag

will

know

this.

I

had

a

great

deal

of

difficulty

in

convincing

some

of our

officers,

who

were

used

to

field-glasses,

of

this

fact,

but

there

was

near

by

the

place

at which

I

was

quartered

in

early

days

the

carved

figure

of

a

knight

in

armour

standing

on the

top

of

a chateau.

This

knight

had

very

large

spurs,

and

I

would

ask student

officers

to

try

and

count

the rowels

with

their

field-glasses.

They

never

could

do

so.

I

would

then

hand

them

one

of

my

beautiful

Ross

glasses,

and

there

always

came the

invariable

question,

Where

can

I

get

a

glass

like

this

?

The

telescope

sight,

of

course,

made accurate

shoot-

ing

in

the

half-lights very

much

easier,

and indeed

for

some

valuable

minutes

after

it had

become

too

dark

to

use

open

sights

the

telescope

sights

still

gave

a

clear

definition.

At

night they

were

invaluable.

With

a

large telescope

sight

which

magnified

five

times,

and

which

was

very

kindly

lent

me

by

Lady

Graham

of

Arran,

several

of us

succeeded

in

making

a

six-inch

group

on

the

target

at

a hundred

yards

by

moonlight,

and

even

by

starlight

once

we

made

a

two

and

a

half-inch

group.

I tried

hard

to

get

an

1

06



SOME

SNIPING MEMORIES

issue

of

somewhat

similar

sights

for

night

firing

authorized,

for

when

you

think

of

the

large

amount

of

coming

and

going

which

continues

all

night

behind

an

occupied

trench,

there

is

no doubt

that

plenty

of

targets

are

always

presenting

themselves.

Even

the

Government

issue

of

telescopic

sights

were

quite

useful at

night,

but their

effect

would have

been

many

times

increased

had it

been

possible

to

fit them

for this

purpose

with

a

large

object

glass.

On both

sides thousands

upon

thousands

of

lives

were saved

by

wind,

since

it

was not

easy

to

judge

its

strength

in the

trenches,

and

as

the

targets

aimed

at

were

usually

only

half a

head,

the

very

smallest error

of

judgment

resulted

in

a

miss. Once

a

bullet

had

whizzed

by

a

German's

ear within a few

inches,

a

second

exposure

of

the

head

was

rarely

made in

the

same

place.

Trench

sniping

was,

in

fact,

as defined

by

Colonel

Langford

Lloyd,

the

art

of

hitting

a

very

small

object

straight

off

and without

the

advantage

of

a

sighting

shot.

At a

certain

spot

in

our

lines

not

very

far

from

Auchonvillers,

known

to fame

as

Ocean

Villas,

a

German

sniper

had done fell

work.

It

is

hard

to

say

how

many

British lives he

had

taken,

but his

tally

was

not

small.

He

lurked

somewhere

in

the

mass of

heaps

of

earth,

rusty

wire

and

sandbags

which

there

formed a

strong

point

of the German

line.

There

107



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

were

twenty

or

thirty

loopholes

from

which

he

might

be

firing.

The

problem

was

from which

of

these

did

his

shots

actually

come

?

The

Germans had

a

trick

of

multiplying

their

loopholes

in this

fashion.

Many

steel

plates

were

shoved

up

on

the

parapet

in

the

most

obvious

positions.

These were

rarely

shot

through,

but

they

were

certainly

sometimes

us~-d. The

Ger-

man

argument

must

have

been

that if

you

have

thirty

loopholes,

it

is

thirty

to

one

against

the

particular

one

from

which

you

fire

being

under

observation

at

that

particular

moment.

On our

side

there was

no

loophole

whatever

cover-

ing

the

area

in

which this

German

sniper

worked,

and

any attempt

to

spot

his

post

had

perforce

to

be

done over

the

top

of

the

parapet.

As

he was

simply

waiting

and

watching

for

people

to look

over,

it was

only

a

very

hurried

and

cursory

glance

that

could

be

taken.

At

length,

however,

the

Hun

was located

by

an

officer,

in

the

vicinity

-of

two

enormous steel

plates

set near the

top

of his

parapet.

As I

have

said,

there

was

no

loophole

upon

our

side,

so orders

were

given

that one

should be

put

in

during

the

night right

opposite

to those

two

big

plates.

The

next

morning

it

was

hardly

light

when

the

German

sniper

shot into

our

new

loophole,

which

was at

once

closed.

The

trap

was now

ready,

and

the

officer

whose

duty

it

was

to deal with the

matter

went

one

hundred

yards

down the

trench

to

the

right

108



SOME

SNIPING

MEMORIES

flank,

while

an

assistant

protruded

the

end of a

black

stick

which

he

happened

to

have

in

his

hand,

keeping

at

the

same

time

well to

the

side. At

the

same

moment

the

officer

on

the flank

shot

at

the

right

hand

of the

two

big

plates

once,

and

then

again.

The

bullets

rang

aloud

upon

the

plates,

and

the

German

sniper

at

the

second

shot

betrayed

himself.

Thinking

as

he

did that the

shots

were

fired

from the

open

loophole

opposite

to

him,

he

fired

at

it,

and

the

gas

from

his

rifle

gave away

his

position.

The

two

big

plates

were,

of

course,

dummies,

and

he

was

firing

almost

from

ground

level,

and

from an

emplacement

cleverly

concealed

by

a

mass

of broken

wire. The

loophole

was

now

shut

for

a

moment

or

two,

and

then

once

again

opened,

the

officer

on

the flank

having

moved

to

a

position

where

he could command

the

German

sniper's

loophole.

His

cap

had

fallen

off.

He

had a

bald

head. Once

found,

and

unaware

of

the

fact

the

sniper

was

soon

dealt

with.

One

could

relate

very many

such

incidents,

but

they

are

rather

grisly.

Sooner

or

later

nearly

eveiy

trouble-

some

German

sniper

met his

fate.

But

the

duty

of

the

sniper

changed

as the

war

went

on. At first

his

job

was

to dominate

the

German

snipers,

destroy

their

moral,

and

make life

secure

for

his

own

comrades.

At

the

same

time

there

was his

Intelligence

work.

Later,

as the

warfare

became

more

open,

he

proved

his

value

over

and

over

again

in

attack,

109



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

When

a

trench

was

taken,

it was

his

duty

to

get

out

in

front

and

(lying

in a

shell-hole)

to

keep

the

enemy

heads

down

while

his

companions

consolidated

the

newly-won

position.

When

an advance was

held

up

by

a

machine-gun,

it was the

sniper's

business

to

put

it out

of

action

if

he

could,

and

the list

of

V.C.'s

and

D.C.M.'s,

as

well

as

thousands

of

deeds

of

nameless

men,

prove

how

often

he was

successful.

In

the

last

advance

of the

Canadian

Corps,

their

very

skilled

sniping

officer,

Major

Armstrong,

told

me that a

single

sniper

put

out

of

action

a

battery

of

5.9

guns,

shooting

down

one

after

another

the

German

officer

and men

who

served

it

a

great

piece

of

work,

and

one

thoroughly

worthy

of General Currie's

splendid

Corps.

But

the

machine-gun

was the

sniper's

special

target.

Once,

of

course,

a

machine-gun

was

spotted,

or moved

in

the

open,

a

single

sniper

was

quite

capable

of

putting

it

out

of action.

In

fact,

the

sniper's

duties

were

legion.

He

had to

be

a

really

high-class

shot,

a

good

and

accurate

observer,

and

a

good

judge

of

distance,

wind

and

light.

Suffice

it that

in

the

more

open

warfare

many

a

sniper

killed

his

fifty

Germans

in a

single

day,

and whether

as a

rifleman

or

scout,

he

bore

a

part

more

perilous

than

that

of

the

rank and

file

of

his comrades.

If

you

who

read

this

know

a

man

who

served

his

year

or

two

in

the

sniping

section

of

his

battalion,

you

know

one

whom

it is

well

that

you

should

honour.

no



SOME SNIPING

MEMORIES

A

position

which

was much

used

by

German

snipers

is

supposed

to have

been trees.

This

was

the theme

of

many

pictures

in the illustrated

papers,

but

as a

matter

of fact

a

high

tree

makes

a

wretched

sniping

post,

and

I

rarely

allowed

one to be

used on our side.

The

Germans,

however,

did

extensively

use

the

pollard

willows

which

were

so

common a

feature

on

the

First

Army

front. We

did not

use

them,

as

I have

said,

but we

found that the

German

sense

of

humour

appears

to

be

much

tickled

by

seeing,

or

thinking

he

sees,

a

Britisher

falling

out

of a

tree,

and

when

our

sniping

became

very good,

and the

enemy

consequently

shy

of

giving

a

target,

a

dummy

in

a

tree

worked

by

a

rope

sometimes

caused Fritz

and

Hans

to show

themselves

unwisely.

When

the

sniping

was

of

high

class

on both

sides,

all

kinds

of

ruses

were

employed

to

get

the

other

side

to

give

a

target.

But

one

had to be

very

careful

not

to

go

too

far

in this sort

of

work

or

trickery,

lest

a

minenwerfer

should

take his

part

in

the duel.

From

time

to

time

wild

geese

crossed

the

trenches

in

the

winter,

and their

appearance

was

usually

a

signal

for

a

-fusillade

in

which

every

rifle

and

machine-

gun

that

could

be

brought

to

bear

on both sides

took

part.

Very

rarely

was

one

brought

down,

though

it

is

possible

that

along

the whole

front

in

the

years

of

war

a

dozen

may

have

been

killed. One in

particu-

lar,

on

a

wild

and

stormy

evening,

was

shot

by

the

in



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

British

and

fell in the

German

lines. The

enemy

the

next

day

hoisted

a

sign

on which

was

painted

in

English

the words

:

So

many

thanks

which

was

indeed

hard

to bear

There

is

another

incident

into

which

birds

also

came

which occurred

on

the

Brick-stacks front

of

the

First

Army.

It

was

when

our

sniping

had

reached

its

high-

water mark

in

the

nth

Corps.

Not

very long

before

we had

been dominated

on this

front,

but

the

33rd

Division

had

put

all that

right.

One

day

Lieut.

Gray

was

coming

down

the

trenches

on

a

tour

of

inspection,

when

he found

a

private

soldier

with five

partridges

lying

before him

on

the

fire

step.

How

did

you

get

them

?

said

Gray.

Shot

them,

sir.

Yes,

but

I

mean

how

did

you

get

their

bodies

?

' :

Crawled

out,

sir,

and

picked

them

up.

By daylight,

and in

full

view

of the

Germans ?

'

Yes,

sir. It's

all

right,

sir

;

they

never

shoot

now.

Gray

gave

the

private

in

question

a

good

dressing-

down,

but

the

incident was

not

without

its

signifi-

cance.

One

day

in

1915

I

was

knocking

about

on

the

top

of

Hill

63

with

a

telescope.

The

edge

of

Ploegsteert

Wood

abuts

upon

this

hill,

and

as

I

came

up

I

saw

an

old cock

pheasant

walking

about.

At

that

moment

a



SOME

SNIPING MEMORIES

shell

burst

very

close

to

him.

He was not

hit,

but he

was

certainly

very

much

dazed,

for

he

stood

stupidly

watching

the

fumes

rising

from

the

cavity,

and

had

it

not

been

for

the

strict

orders

concerning

game

and

the

probable

arrival

of

more

shells

I

could

easily

have

captured

him

;

but

after

a

few

moments,

during

which

he sat

with

his

feathers

all

fluffed

out,

he

gathered

himself

together

and

disappeared

into

the

nearest

thicket.

I

was

always very

much afraid

all

through

the

war

that,

having

started

poison

gas,

the Germans

might

start

using

shot

guns

loaded with

buckshot

for

work

between

the

trenches.

Had

they

done

so,

patrolling

would have become

a horrible

business

;

but I

suppose

that

they

were

restrained

by

the

fact

either

that

such

weapons

are not allowed

by

the Geneva

Convention,

or

that

the

British

Isles

have

such

a

supply

of

shot

guns

and

cartridges

that

the

advantage

would

not

remain

long

upon

their

side. As

it

was,

things

were

much

more

satisfactory,

for

there was

plenty

of ex-

citement

out

in

No Man's

Land,

what

with machine-

gun

bullets

and

rifle

fire,

without the

added

horror

of

a

charge

of

small

shot

in

the

face.

I

have

touched on

the

work

of

observers

in the front

line

in

this

chapter,

but

it will be more

fully

considered

in

the

next

upon

the

subject

of

Observation,

to

which

this

side

of

the

sniper's

work

really

belongs.

113

8



CHAPTER

VI

AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

A

S

I have

already

said,

when

sniping

was started

in

the

B.E.F.,

we owed

our

fairly rapid

and

cer-

tainly

very

definite

success in

the

task of

dominating

the

Hun to

a

single

factor.

Whereas

the

German

sniper

usually

worked

alone,

we

put

up

against

him two

men,

one

of

whom,

A,

used

the

telescope

and

kept

a

close

watch

for

targets

upon

a

good

sector

of

the

enemy's

line,

while

B,

his

comrade,

used

the rifle

and

shot

at

the

targets

which

A

found.

The

result

was

that

at

a

hundred

points along

the

line

you

could

daily

hear a conversation

such

as

this

:

A.

Black

Sandbags

left

two

feet

'alf

a

'Un's

'ead

showing.

D

he's down

B.

Hope

he'll come

up

again.

A.

He's

up

B.

(Fires).

A.

Close

shave

six

inches

high

bad

luck,

ole

son



AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

Now

the total

result

of

the above

passage

was

in

all

probability

not

only

that a

German

in the

trench

opposite

had been

fired at

and

missed,

but that

A,

the

telescope

man,

had seen

certain

details

which

might

prove

of

interest.

These

details

A,

at

once,

as

a

matter

of

routine,

entered in

his

log

book. He

enters

the time

11.18

a.m.

let

us

say.

The

place

is

C3d.25-85

on

the

squared

map.

So

far

all was

simple

;

but

the next

entry

as

to what he had

seen was

impor-

tant.

A

Hun's

head,

or a

yellow-bearded

Hun,

or

an

ugly

Hun,

meant

nothing;

but

a

Hun

wearing

a

Prussian

cockade,

or a

Hun

wearing

a

helmet with

No.

119

on the

cover

these

things

were

of

impor-

tance,

and

soon,

under

instruction,

sniper-observers

gave

up

reporting

black-bearded

Germans

who

leaned

over the

parapet,

and

realized the

value

of

the

all-important

game

of

identification.

They

entered

besides the

details

already

given,

a note

of

the action

taken and

the result

:

In the

case

we

have

imagined,

Fired

one

shot

missed.

It

will

be

further understood that

a

sniper's

observer

(and

do

not

forget

that

the observer's

work

is

much

the

more

trying,

and that

A

and

B

change

places

every

twenty

minutes

to rest the

observer's

eyes),

saw

a

great

many

things

happen

in

the

enemy

lines

which did

not

come

under the

heading

of

tar-

gets.

Earth

being

thrown

up

usually

meant work

in

progress.

The occurrence

was,

of

course,

noted

down

115

8*



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

in

the

log

book,

with

a

map

reference at

which

it

took

place

and

the

spot,

if

worth

while,

bombarded

with

trench mortars. Or the observer

might

spot

a

machine-gun

emplacement,

or

locate

a

mincnwcrjer.

But

it

will be seen that

the

possibilities

are

endless,

and

as

the

war

went on

the

snipers provided

a mass

of

detail,

much

of

which

was

confirmed

by

raids

and

identifications

taken from

prisoners

or from the

dead,

and

very

little

could

happen

near

the

enemy's

front

lines

without

our

Intelligence

being

at

once

aware

of

it.

An

interesting

question

which

arose

was

whether

a

sniper

should enter deductions

as

well

as

facts

in his

reports,

and this

question

was often asked

me.

The

reply

was

that he should

invariably

do

this

provided

he

marked

his

deductions

very

clearly

as

such.

The

most

brilliant

piece

of

deduction

that

I

came

across

was that of an officer

in

the

Royal

Warwick-

shire

Regiment,

and it

had

a remarkable

sequel.

At

one

point

of a

supposed

disused

trench,

a

cat was

ob-

served

sunning

itself

upon

the

parados.

This

was

duly

reported

by

the

observant

sniper,

and

in

his

log

book

for

three or

four

days

running

came

a

note

of

this

tortoise-shell

cat

sunning

itself,

always

at the same

spot.

The

Intelligence

and

Sniping

Officer

of

the

bat-

talion,

on

reading

his

entries,

made

his

deduction,

to

wit,

that

the

cat

probably

lived near

by.

Now

at

that

part



AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

of

the

British

line

there

was

a

terrible

plague

of

rats,

which was

probably

at

least as

troublesome

upon

the

German side. So

our officer

deduced that the

cat

was

a

luxury,

and

that

this

being

so,

it

had

most cer-

tainly

been

commandeered or

annexed

by

enemy

officers and

probably

lived in

some

enemy

officer's

headquarters

possibly

a

company

commander's

dug-

out.

Some

aeroplane

photographs

were

next

taken and

studied,

with a

result that

an

enemy

headquarters

was

discovered,

located

and

duly

dealt

with

by

one

of

the

batteries

of

howitzers

which made

a

speciality

of

such

shoots.

I

give

the full details of

this

incident

in

a later

chapter.

In

fact,

in

trench

warfare there

was

a

great

deal

of

scope

for

deduction.

At one

time,

before

the Germans

received

the

large

numbers

of

light

machine-guns

which were

issued

in the

later

stages

of

the

war,

their

heavier

weapons

were

mounted

in fixed

posts,

which

were

very

carefully

concealed. Sometimes

these

guns

fired a burst

at

night,

and

we

invented

a

way

in

which

it

was

possible

to

locate

them. We

had

a

large

tin

structure,

shaped

like

an

oblong

box and

made

of three

walls

of

tin,

each

some

inches

apart.

This

was

mounted

on

straight

square

sticks

fixed at

either

end

of

the

box.

These

iticks

fitted into

grooves

which

were

nailed on

boards

set

into

the

parapet,

and

after

dark

were

run

up

until

117



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

the tin

box was

above

the

parapet.

Should

it in this

position

happen

to

catch

even

one

bullet

of

a

burst

of

fire,

as

an

enemy

machine-gun

sprayed

our

trench,

it was

only

necessary

to slide

down

the

legs

through

the

grooves,

and to

place

a

periscope

in

front

of

any

hole the

machine-gun

bullets

had

made.

In this

way

the

observer

found

himself looking

down

the

course

along

which

the

bullet

had

come,

direct

at

the

spot

from

which

it was fired.

This

was

rather

a

clumsy

and

very

uncertain

device,

but

it

was

used

in

a

dozen

other

forms.

Had it

been

invented

earlier,

before

the

issue

of light

machine-

guns

which

I

have

referred

to

above,

it

might

have

been

quite

valuable,

but

it

came

too

late,

and was

soon discarded.

To

spot

a hostile

machine-gun emplacement

was

one

of

the

most

valuable

services

a

front-line

observer

could

render,

since

of

course

a

single

machine-gun

can

hold

up

an

attack

and

inflict

great

casualties.

Therefore,

when

a

machine-gun emplacement

was

spotted

it

was

not

necessarily

put

out

of

action at

once,

but

its

map

reference

was

noted

and

sent to

Intelli-

gence,

where

it was

filed,

and

action

taken

by

the

divisional

artillery

at the correct

time,

usually

just

before a raid or an attack.

On the nth

Corps

front

in

1916

our

troops

were

continually

making

raids,

and

there

was

a

great

deal

of

competition

as

to

who

should

make the

most

success-

118



AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

ful.

The

result was that

the

enemy

was

kept

contin-

ually

upon

the

jump.

The

Germans were

allowed

very

little

sleep

during

those

months.

One

night

they

decided to

try

and

regain

the

lost

initiative,

and

a

German

raid

was

turned

on,

which,

however,

did not

meet

with

great

success

;

in

fact,

things

began

to be

critical

for

the

raiders,

and

the

German

Company

Commander

in

charge

came

out

into

No Man's

Land

to see

for

himself

what was amiss.

There

in No Man's

Land

he

was

killed

by

our

men,

and

from

his

body

a

map

was

taken

on

which the

position

of

no

less than

eighty

machine-gun

emplace-

ments

was

marked.

At

first

it

was

thought

that

the

map

on

which

these

eighty

emplacements

were

de-

scribed

might

be a fake intended to

mislead

us,

but

on

comparing

it

with

the

emplacements

discovered

during

the

previous

weeks

it

was

found

that

no fewer

than

forty-two

of

the

eighty

had been

spotted

and

ticked

off,

though

as

yet

no

serious

action

against

them

had

been

taken.

Such

a

chance

never

comes

twice,

and

a few

nights

later

the

gunners

blew

up

all the

machine-gun

em-

placements

while

the

South

Wales

Borderers

went

across and raided

the

German

trenches.

To

such

a

tune

was

the

raid

carried

out

that,

though

a record

number of

prisoners

were

brought

in,

the

raiding

party

suffered

hardly any

loss

themselves.

More

than

one officer

in

the

war

must

have found

119



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

himself in

a

dreadful

position

when

captured

by

the

enemy

with

important

maps

of

his own

lines in

his

pocket.

Carelessness,

darkness,

or

misadventure

might

each or

any

of

them be

responsible,

but

bad

as

was

the

lot

of the

ordinary

prisoner,

how

much worse

was that

of one whose

capture

had

given

valuable

local

informa-

tion to

the

enemy

It

is

too

painful

a

subject

to

pursue.

Many

people

seem

to

think

that all

observation

is

now done

from

aeroplanes,

but

this

is

absurd.

The

airmen

can

spot

hostile

concentrations

and do in-

valuable

work

in

a

hundred

ways,

but,

as

the

war

went

on,

more

and

more

was

it

recognized

how

necessary

was

the

ground-observer,

for

he looked

at

the

enemy

from

a

different

angle,

and

his

reports

were

often

of

the

highest

value.

Once

the

Germans

started

a

new

and

large

form

of

periscope,

and

we ceased

destroying

them

at once

the

moment a clever observer

found

that

with

the

telescope

he

could

read the

reflection

of

the

numbers

on

the

shoulder

straps

of

the

Germans

who

used

them,

thereby

allowing

us

to

identify

the

opposing

unit

with

both comfort

and

ease.

It was

perhaps

natural

enough

that

when a

sniper

first

won

his

way

into

the

sniping

section

of

his bat-

talion,

he should

desire

to

shoot rather

than

to

observe,

yet,

as

a

matter

of

fact,

the observer's

was,

in

my

opinion,

the

post

of

honour.

It

was

very

hard

work

too,

especially

in

summer

time,

and

more

especially

120



AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

still

in

the

chalk

country.

Some of

the

happiest

days

of

our

lives

were

spent

with

the

Ross

telescope,

either

watching

the

German lines

from

the

front

trenches

or

from

some

observation

post

further back

overlooking

the

wide

areas that

lay

behind them.

On

many

occasions

one

became

so

interested

that

meals

were

forgotten,

as

the

telescope

searched and

waited for the

artillery

observers' observation

posts.

Such

a

one

there was

at

Beaumont

Hamel.

It

was

in

the

autumn

of

1915,

and

the

leaves

were

falling,

which

is

the

best time

of

all

for

spotting

the

posts

of

enemy

observers.

Right

back

in the

village

was

a

building

which,

though

it

had

been

heavily

shelled,

still

stood in

a

fairly

commanding

position.

A

direct

hit had

at some

previous

time

smashed

a

jagged

hole

under

the eaves

through

which

one

could

see

a

beam

stretching

across. It

was

the

presence

of

this

beam

which

first

drew

attention

to the

spot,

for it

seemed

strange

that

the

shell

should

not

have

carried

it

away.

It

looked,

indeed,

as

if

it had

been

placed

there

after-

wards

;

but

it

was a little

back

in

the

room

behind,

and

it

was

difficult

to

tell

whether

the shell

might

not

have

left

it

intact.

In

the

morning,

when

the

light

was

bad

owing

to

the

position

of

the

sun,

it

was

very

hard

to

spot

the

shell

hole,

and

the

beam

was

invisible,

but

one

day

when

the

light

was

very

good

in

the

afternoon,

the

glass

revealed

five

bricks

standing

on this

broken

beam.

121



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

Natural

enough

but

not

quite

so

natural

when the

next

day

the five

bricks

had

changed

their

position.

On

the first

day

four

had

been

lying along

the beam

at full

length

and one

was set

upon

its

end.

On

the second

day

a

second had

adopted

the erect

position.

Late

in

the afternoon

of

that

clear

day

the

officer

who

had observed

and

who was

taking

interest in

the

five

bricks

saw

through

his

3O-power

glass

a

German

hand

moving

the

bricks and

the

light

glint

on

a

pair

of

German

field-glasses

levelled

amongst

them.

The second

shell from

our

gunners

removed

for

ever

that

post

of

Beaumont

Hamel.

That

was

one side of

the

game.

The

other

was when

your

own

post

got

given

away

as

it

sometimes

did

usually

by

the flash of a

glass

in

some

unskilled

hands,

by

aeroplane

photographs,

or

by

some

idiot

approaching

the

post

when the

light

allowed

of

good

observation from the

German

line.

Then

the

first

news

you

had

of

it

was

the

arrival

of

the

German

shells.

Followed

either the

decision

to stick

it,

or the

climb,

during

the

later

stages

of

the

war

in

a

gas

mask,

down the ladder and

a

dash

for

the

nearest

dug-out.

Once

on

a

certain famous

ridge

riddled

with

our

observation

posts,

I

can

remember

finding

a

path

leading

to

every

post

clear in the

new

fallen

snow,

and

a

German

aeroplane

imminent

overhead.

Now

122



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

the

observation

was

best

stood

a

milestone

on

which

was

stated

the

number

of

kilometres

to

Paris.

This

milestone

the French

photographed.

The

photograph

was

sent to

the

Camouflage

Works,

where

an

exact

copy

of

the

milestone,

with

the

number of

kilometres

printed

on

it,

was made

in

steel,

but with an

observation

eye-slit

covered

with

gauze.

Then

one

night

a

French

party

crept

out

and

removed

the

real

milestone,

putting

in its

stead

the

camouflaged

one.

A

tunnel

from

the

trench

was

next

dug,

and

for

many

months

inside that

harmless-looking

milestone a

pair

of

keen

French

eyes

noted

much

of interest

that

happened

in

the

German

line.

In

another

case,

a

huge

dead,

yellow-bearded

Prus-

sian

lay,

on a

point

of

vantage, staring

at

the

sky.

He,

too,

was

photographed

and

copied,

and from the

hollow

shell,

clothed

in

his

uniform,

another

observer

fulfilled

his

duty.

A

dead

horse

likewise

was

replaced

and

used.

In

fact,

the

romance

of

observation was

endless,

forming,

as

it

did,

one

of

the

more

human

phases

of

the

world-war,

for

here,

at

least,

an

observer's

life

was

often

dependent

upon

his

own

skill. Observers

often

lay

in

full

view,

their

lives

depending

upon

quiescence

and

their

art

of

blending

with

the

back-

ground.

When,

at

a

later

date,

there

was

an

issue

in

the

British

Army

of

sniping

robes

for

the use

of

snipers



AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

and

observers

robes

which

tallied

with

any

back-

ground

and

were ornamented

with

all kinds

of

dazzle

painting

there was a

tendency

to

send

snipers

and

observers out in

front.

As

a

rule I

think

this was

a

mistake,

for the

hours

out

in front from

dawn

to

dark

were

very long,

and

the

observer had to

keep

upon

the

qui

vive

for

too

long

a

period.

Also

the

smallest

movement would

give

him

away,

and

he

was

rarely

in

a

position

to

use

his

telescope

over

any

large

area.

Freedom of

movement

is

necessary

to

the

observer,

and as

to

the

sniper,

I

always

felt that

it

was

wrong

to

send

him

out

except

on

a

definite

quest,

for

the

man

behind

the

trench

is

always

in

a

superior position

to the man who is

lying

on

open

ground

without

any

chance

of

escape.

So

far

I

have

dealt

with

what

is

known as

front

line observation

;

but

besides this we have to con-

sider the

very

wide

subject

of

back

area observation.

The

sniper's duty

is to watch

the

enemy's

front

and

support

lines.

The

brigade

observers,

if

any

and

keen

brigades

were

always sending

them to be

trained

and

the

divisional observers

working

from

posts

on

their

own

support

lines,

or from

some

point

of

vantage

far

behind,

watched

the

areas

lying

at the

back

of

the

enemy

fighting

lines

as

far as

the

glass

could

see.

To

some

of

the

Army

Corps

were

attached

the

Lovat

Scouts

Sharpshooters.

This

name turned

out

125



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

in

a

way

really

a

misnomer,

for the

Lovats were

found

to

be so

invaluable

with

the

telescope

that

they

were

in

many

cases forbidden

to use the

rifle.

Many

Corps

also had

groups

of observers formed from

their

Corps

Cavalry.

Besides these

we had the

F.O.O.'s

and

Artillery

observers

who,

however,

do

not come within

the

scope

of this

chapter

as

their

work

is so

largely

for

the

guns.

In order to

understand

fully

the

tremendous

mass

of

work

done

by

observers,

you

must

realize

that

behind

the

lines

the

Major-General,

the

Corps

Commander,

the

Army

Commander

and

the

Commander-in-

Chief

himself

are

all

blind. Their brains

direct

the

battle,

but

it

is

with the

eyes

of

Sandy

McTosh

that

they

see.

And

nobly

through

the war

did

Sandy

do

his

part.

It is from him

and

his officers

that the

blind

General

behind learns

how

the

battle

goes

that

the

brigade

have

gained

their first

objective

that

the

th

are held

up

by

wire

that

at

Nz6,

C4-3

at least

six

German

battalions

are

massing

for a

counter-attack.

In

the

Vimy

Ridge

battle did

not Lieut.

Whamond

and

Sergeant

Fraser

observe,

and

did not the

guns they

warned

break

up,

a

mighty

counter-attack

before

ever it was launched

?

The

duty

of

the

battle

observer

is

to obtain

the

in-

formation

as

to

how

each

phase

of

the

battle

goes,

and

then

to

get

that

information

back

to where

it

should

be of value,

126



AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

The

battle

observer's

post

or,

rather,

his series

of

posts,

in an

advance,

may begin

in

an

observation

post,

proceed

forward to a

series

of

shell

holes

and

finish

in

a

wrecked

German

lorry

stranded

upon

some

convenient

slope.

He

will

use

the

telephone.

His

runners

who

take

back

his

reports

when

the tele-

phone

wires

are

cut

by

shell

fire

will

escape

on

one

occasion

almost

unshot

at

;

on

the

next

gas

shells

will

pursue

them with

positive

malignancy.

The

observer cannot

observe

in

his

gas

mask,

so

that

gas

shells

are

his

particular

enemy,

and

in

many

of

the

later

attacks

the

Germans

at

once

drenched

all

possible

observation

posts

with

gas.

But,

as

I

say,

the observer

is

the

eye

of

the

High

Command.

Far

away

a

General

and

his

Chief

of

Staff

are

looking

at

a

map.

An

orderly

enters

and

hands over

a

flimsy

to

the Chief of

Staff.

He reads

out

the

message.

The

General

gives

a

sigh

of

relief.

He knows

now that

the

danger

spot

is

behind

the

remnants

of

the

gallant

battalions

of the

38ist

Brigade.

Sandy

McTosh

has

made

siccar

he

has seen

he has

verified

he

has

got

his

report

back.

Those

eyes,

trained

on

the hill

among

the

deer,

may

have

had their

share,

and

that

no small

one,

in

the

making

of

history.

Battle-observing

was

the blue

ribbon

of

observation.

Although

the

first battalion

of Lovat

Scouts

went

to

Gallipoli,

and later

to

Salonica,

only

coming

to

their

127



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

true work in

France

in

1918,

yet

since

1916

this

splendid

regiment

was

represented

there

by

the

Lovat

Scouts

Sharpshooters

whom

I have referred

to

above,

and of

whom

nine

groups,

each about

twenty

strong,

and

each

under

an

officer,

were

attached

to a

certain

Army

Corps. Every

man of

these

groups

was a

picked

stalker

and

glassman,

and

they

were

used

largely

for

long

range

observation.

It

fell

to the First

Army

Sniping

School

to

train

their

reinforcements.

Keener men

never

lived,

nor

more

dependable.

I

remember

once

a

Zeppelin

was

reported

as

falling

in

the

enemy

back areas some

six

or seven

thousand

yards

behind

the

German

line.

This

report

was

made

by

divisional

observers,

but

it

was

promptly

denied

by

the

Lovat

Scouts,

who

stated

very

gravely

that

there

was a

difference

between

a

Zeppelin

and

a

half

deflated balloon

Lovat

Scouts

Sharpshooters

were

trained

at

Beauly

in

map-reading,

compass

work,

etc.,

and first

came

out

in

separate groups.

A little later

Lieut.-Colonel

Cameron

of Lochiel

arrived

in

France

to

co-ordinate

their work.

At this

time

their

raison

d'etre

was

not

always

apparent

to

the

units

to

which

they

were

attached,

and

some

of them were

put

on

to observe

for

enemy

aeroplanes,

in which

work

their

skill was

rather

thrown

away.

But this

was

largely

put

right

by

Lochiel,

whose work

was

invaluable. Later

they

were under

the

command

of

Lieut.-Colonel

Grant,

128



AN

OBSERVER'S MEMORIES

and

towards the

end

of

the

war,

as

I

have

mentioned

above,

the

First Lovat

Scouts

were

brought

home

from

abroad

to

take

up

their

true

work

of

observa-

tion,

just

the

whole

period

of

the

war

too

late.

At first

they

were

quarantined

for

a

time,

as

most

of them

were

suffering

from

malaria,

and

from

then

onwards

tremendous efforts

were made

to

train

the

whole

regiment

in

the

higher

forms

of

map-reading.

It

is,

I

believe,

a

fact

that

it

was

only

on Novem-

ber

nth,

the

day

of

the

Armistice,

that

the

order

finally

came

through

from

the

War Office

which

settled

the

establishment

of

the

Lovat

Scouts

with

the

British

Expeditionary

Force.

The Lovat

Scouts

were

intensely

and

rightly proud

of

their

regiment

and

its

work.

Once

I received

orders

to train

forty

foreigners

as Lovat

Scouts,

and

called

up

an old Lovat and

told

him

so

and ordered

him

to

make

certain

arrangements.

Yes,

sir,

said he

and

saluted.

One

of

my

officers

was

lying

behind a

hedge

ob-

serving,

and

on

leaving

me the old

Lovat walked

down

this

hedge

soliloquizing.

He did not see the

officer,

who,

however,

overheard

his

soliloquy.

It

ran

thus :

Forty

Englishmen

to

be

trained

as

Lovat Scouts

Abominable

Preposterous

and

it can't be

done

The

1st

Corps

had

a

splendid

system

under

which

the

Lovat

Scouts

attached

to

it

worked.

It

possessed

129

9



SNIPING IN FRANCE

a

grand

group

under Lieut.

Whamond, M.C.,

whose

equal

at his work I

never

saw

in

France.

The

system

was

this

:

Scouts

from

the

group

were

avail-

able

on

application

to the

Corps Intelligence

Office.

Thus,

if

a

battalion

had been

ordered

to

raid

the

enemy

trenches,

the

Commanding

Officer

of

that

battalion

could indent

for

some

Lovats to

go

and

make

a

reconnaissance

of

the

enemy

wire

for

him.

Or

if

a

Divisional

Commander

thought

the

enemy

activities

increasing,

he

could obtain

some

special

pairs

of

Lovats to

watch

the

part

of

the line

he con-

sidered

threatened.

The

group,

in

fact,

were at

the

service

of

all

units

in

the Corps,

and

the

result

was

that

when

they

were

applied

for,

their assistance

was

fully

valued,

and

they

went

always

to

a

definite

job.

Various

scouts

from

this

group

used

to

come

up

to

First

Army

School

of

S.O.S.

to

recoup,

for,

during

the

long

drawn

out

operations

in front

of

Lens,

the

continual

use

of

the

glass

was

very

trying.

A

story,

probably

apocryphal,

was

always

told

in

the

1st

Corps

concerning

a

gigantic

corporal

of

the

Lovats

who

stood

six

feet

five

inches

in

height,

and

was

certainly

one

of the

strongest

men

in

the

Army.

He

was

talking

with his

companion

for

the scouts

worked

in

pairs

when his

conversation

was overheard

by

some men

of

a

new

formation.

As the

Lovats

were

speaking

Gaelic,

these

men

at

once

jumped

130



AN OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

to

the conclusion that

they

were

listening

to

German,

and

demanded

an

instant

surrender.

The

night

was

dark,

but,

as

the

story

goes,

it was

not

the

new

formation

who

brought

back the Lovats

as

prisoners,

but

the Lovats who

brought

back the

new

formation.

The

final

arrangement

in

the

B.E.F.,

which never

took

effect,

allotted

groups

of Lovat

Scouts

to each

Division.

At

each

Army

there

was

to

be

a

Major

in

charge

on

the

Headquarters

staff,

and a

captain

at the

Corps

;

but,

as

I have

said,

this

system

had

hardly

begun

to

operate

when

the war ended.

In

training

glassmen,

one

wonderfully

soon

realized

how

impossible

it

was to teach

any

man to

use

his

telescope

skilfully

who had not been accustomed

to

it

from

early

youth.

Every

soldier

can,

of

course,

be

taught

which end to look

through,

and

how

to

focus,

and

such

details,

but

these men

who

began

late

in

life

never

got

the

same

value

from

their

glasses

as

did

the

gillies

and

the

stalkers,

arid

from

the

point

of

view of

accuracy

they

were

in no

way

comparable.

The

truth,

that to

use a

stalking

telescope

well

needs

just

as

much

time,

practice,

and

natural

gift

as

first-

class

shooting,

was soon

recognized,

and

would-be

observers

were

sent

to the

First

Army

School

from

all

over

the B.E.F.

But

work

on

them

as

we

would,

they

never

averaged

anything

like

the

Lovat standard.

It

sounds

a bold

statement to

make,

but

the

Lovats

131

9*



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

never

let

one

down.

If

they

reported

a

thing,

the

thing

was as

they

reported

it.

Certainly

the

men

who

follow

the red

deer

of

Scotland

proved

themselves

once

again

in

this war to

possess

qualities

which,

let

us

hope,

will

never

pass

from

the

British

race.

As ammunition

grew

plentiful,

and

observation

more

and more

adequate,

it

naturally

became

less

and

less

healthy

for

the

German

to

move

about

in

his

back areas

in

daylight.

Thus,

one

day,

two

officers

happened

to be

in

an

observation

post

which

was connected

with

the

guns,

when

out

of

a wood

some

thousands

of

yards

behind the

German line

emerged

three

figures.

The

light

was

beautiful,

and as

the

figures

came

nearer

and

nearer

one of

the

officers

began

to take an

interest.

As

a

rule,

that

observation

post

did not

ring

up

the

guns

unless

a

party

of

Germans

over

half a

dozen

in

number

was

seen,

but

presently

the

officer

at

the

telescope

spoke.

I

say

?

Yes.

Get

on to

Stiggins

(the

code

name

of

the

battery).

Tell

them

three

Hun

officers

with

blue

cloaks

lined

with

light

blue

silk,

blucher

boots and

shining

swords,

will

be at

the

cross-roads

at

Hi

6,

45.5

in

about five

minutes.

Tell

them

they

are

probably

Prince Eitel

Fritz

and

Little

Willie.

I

will

give

the

word

when

to

let

them

have

it.

132



AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

Through

the

glass

could

be

clearly

seen

it was

afternoon,

and

the

sun

was

in

a

perfect position

the

nonchalant

way

in which those

three

arrogant-

looking

Hun officers stared

about

as

they

approached

the cross-roads.

Then,

in

due

course,

the

observing

officer

said

:

Now

and

a

moment

later

the

shells

passed

over

the

observation

post

with

a

sound

as

of

the

tearing

of

silk,

and

the

three

princes,

blue

cloaks and

swords

were

flying

at

all

angles

as

they

dashed

back

from

the

cross-roads,

only

to

run

into another shell burst.

Two

fell

the other

made

good

his

escape.

It was

never

learned

who

they

were.

Another

incident.

One

very misty day

two officers

were in an

observation

post

looking

out

over

the

huge

devastation

of

the

Loos salient.

They

were

not

in

an

artillery,

but

in

an

Intelligence

observation

post,

which,

however,

was linked

up

with

the

guns.

Sud-

denly

the mist

thinned,

revealing

far

behind

the

German

lines,

7,000

yards

away,

a number of

figures

engaged

in

harvesting.

Ring

up

'

Compunction,'

'

said

one

officer,

and

tell them

that

sixty

Huns

are

working

on

the

corn

at

U22,

A45.7O.

By

God,

cancel

that,

cried

the

other,

whose

eyes

were

still

on the

telescope.

There

are

women

among

them.

They

were

French

women,

with

a

sprinkling

of

133



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Bavarian or

Prussian

soldiers.

The

long

distance

observer

saved

lives,

even

behind

the

Hun

lines,

as

well

as

took

them.

-Sometimes

it

was the

observer's

duty

to

watch a

single

German

for

days

at

a

time,

not

for

the

sake

of

watching

a

particular

man,

^but

because

the

man

happened

perhaps

to be

a

sentry

on

the

particular

piece

of

line

which

was

under

observation.

I

remember

watching

a

German

sentry

in

this

way,

or, rather,

seeing

him from

time

to

time

from

the

Monday

to the

Thursday.

He

never

gave

an

oppor-

tunity

for

a

shot,

though periodically

he

used to

peer

quickly

over

the

parapet

and

as

quickly

sub-

side

;

but one

got

quite

used

to

his

routine.

His

dinner

was

brought

him

at

his

post,

where he

seemed

to

remain

for

very

long

hours. Once

a

friend,

who

was

engaged

in

painting

a

notice,

seemed to

come

and

sit

and

talk

with

him.

The

sentry himself

was

an

exceedingly

young

German,

and

I should

say

an ex-

traordinarily

bad

sentry.

He sometimes

used to

shoot

at

us

if

we

gave

him

provocation,

but

he

was

an

appallingly

bad shot.

He

was

so

exceedingly

young

that

I

was

very

glad

that

I

had

not

a

rifle

with

me,

for

when

at last he

did

give

a

chance

it

was

the

Com-

pany-Sergeant-Major,

who

cared

not

if

he was

young

or

old,

who

did

what was

necessary.

There

were

certain observation

posts

in

or

outside

the

British

lines

from

which no

shot

was

ever

allowed

134



AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

to

be

fired,

lest the

post

should

be

betrayed,

so

valu-

able

were

they

for

observation.

From one

you

could

see

at

close

range

a

German mounted

military

police-

man he

was

not

always

mounted

directing

the

traffic.

You

could almost

see the

expression

on

the

faces of

the Huns.

At

another

point

an

observation

post

which

was

linked

up

with

the

guns

had a

long

distance

view

of

a

straight

road near a

ridge

running

behind the Ger-

man

lines,

along

which

even

in

daylight

Huns were

wont

to

move

in

small

bodies.

One

day

an

officer

and a

corporal

were

in this

post,

when

the

corporal

drew the attention

of

the officer

to a

single figure

moving

along

the road.

By

deduc-

tion

it

was

that

of a

German

officer,

for

every

now

and

again

he

would

meet

little

parties

of

troops

coming

along

the

road

in

threes

and

fours,

not

enough

to shoot

at.

Sir,

said

the

corporal,

the

officer

stops

each

lot and

kind

of

seems to

inspect

them.

I

expect

he

is

a

disciplinarian.*'

The

officer

smiled.

Some

little

distance

further

on

he

knew

a

point

on

the

road was

registered

by

our

guns.

Before

the

officer

came

to this

he

gave

the

word

along

the

telephone

to

fire. As

the

shells

approached

the

Hun officer hurled

himself

to

the

ground,

from

which,

after

the

smoke cleared

from

a

very

nice

shot,

he

was

135



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

not

seen to

rise.

But

the

chances are

he

crawled

away.

If

not,

the

German

Army

was

certainly

short

of

an

officer

of

push

and

go.

Of

course

the difference

between

the

really

skilled

observer and

the

makeshifts

who

sometimes had to

act in

their

places

came

out

in a

very

marked

degree

at

the

longer ranges.

The

latter

did not

understand

the

telescope,

and

were

never

able to

focus it

so as

to

get

the best results.

In

fact,

when

happenings

were

quite

clear

to

anyone

used to

the

telescope,

these

men

were

all at

sea and

could

not

distinguish

much.

Anyone

who was

a

real

artist

with the

telescope

was,

of

course,

always

trying

different

glasses

and

dif-

ferent

magnifications.

Apart

from

the

telescopes

which I

had

purchased

with Mr.

St.

Loe

Strachey's

invaluable

fund,

the

Lady

Roberts fund

sent

me

out

a

number

of

very

high-class

glasses

of all

magnifica-

tions,

and after a

great

deal

of

experimenting

we

came to

the

conclusion

that

during

all

the

morning

hours,

when

the

sun

was

facing

us,

we should do

best

for

all

our

work with

a

lo-power

magnification,

whereas,

of

course,

when the

sun

went round

behind

us,

higher-powered

glasses

gave

better results.

Still,

it was

very

rare

indeed that it was

worth while to

pull

out

the

3o-power

stop.

Glasses

even

of

the

same

magnification

vary

to an

amazing

extent. Some

are

what

may

be called

sweet,

that

is,

easy

and

restful

for

the

eyes

to

look

through.

Others,

of

perhaps



AN OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

exactly

similar

type

and

by

the same

maker,

are

hard

and

unsatisfactory.

Most

of

the

Lovat Scouts

brought

out

their

own

glasses,

nearly

all

Ross's

indeed,

I never

knew

of

any

glass

to

compare

with

those

made

by

this

maker.

There

was

one

duty

of back

area observers

which

was

always interesting,

and

this was

watching

enemy

railway

crossings.

All

these

crossings

were,

of

course,

registered by

our

guns,

and

it was the

duty

of

the

observer

to

keep

a

good

look-out

on

them,

and

when a train

stopped

in the

station,

and con-

sequently

a

good

deal

of

traffic

was held

up

on

either

side

of

the

railway

crossing,

he

would

ring

up

the

guns.

A

few

well-placed

shells

would

then

wreak

havoc

upon

the

enemy.

A

system

which

was

extraordinarily

clear

and

in-

teresting

was

adopted

by

one

Corps.

This

Corps

had,

let us

say,

five

posts

manned

by

observers.

All

these

posts

were

linked

up

with

artillery.

Back

at

Corps,

stretched

on

an enormous

table,

was

a

large

map,

on

which,

of

course,

the

five

observation

posts

were marked.

The

observers

in

the

posts

sent in

their

daily

diary

of

observation,

and

when

anything

in

it

was

of

importance,

it was

entered

on

this

large

map.

Thus,

we will

call

the

posts

Tiger,

Lion,

Leopard,

Puma

and

Jaguar,

the

names

by

which

they

were

known.

Everything

observed

from

Lion was

entered in

red

ink,

everything

from

Tiger

in

violet,

137



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

and

from the

others also

in different

coloured

.inks.

It

was

thus

possible

at a

single glance

to

tell

exactly

what

had

been

seen

during

the

past

week

from

each

post.

Of

course

sometimes

two

posts

observed

the

same

thing,

but

only

on

the

extreme

limits of their

area of

observation.

A

good

observation

post

was a

great

asset,

and

sore,

indeed,

were

the

observers

if

it

was

given

away.

There

was

one

such

post

on a

certain

front

which

lay

within

six

hundred

yards

of the

enemy's

front line. This

post

had been

used,

and

had remained

undiscovered

for

four

months.

One

day

there

was some

change

in

the

arrangement

of

Corps,

and

a

smart

young

staff

captain

arrived

at

the

post

and

stated

that

he

had

orders

to

take

it over from the

observers.

Luckily

the

observer

officer,

who

shall

be

nameless,

was

in

the

post,

and

he

is

reported

to have

addressed

that

staff

captain

as

follows

:

There are two

ways,

sir,

in

which

this can be

done.

The

one v/ould be

if

you

were

to

bring

me a

written

authorization

from

the

head

of

Intelligence

in

my

Corps,

telling

me to deliver

up

the

post.

That

would

be

the

proper

and

official

way.

The

other

would

be

to throw

me

out.

Which are

ye

for

?

As the

speaker

was over

six feet

high,

and had to

pass

most

doors

sideways,

he

remained

in

unmolested

possession

of

that

post.

One

lingers

over

observation,

because

it

was

so

138



AN

OBSERVER'S MEMORIES

intensely

interesting.

During

the

long

and

weary

period

of

trench

warfare,

when one saw

so

few Germans

in

the ordinary

course

of

events,

it

was

delightful

to

be able

to

go

and

look,

with

the

help

of

a

Ross

glass,

into their

private

life.

Many

and

many

a

time

did

officers

say

to me that one of the

things they

most

desired

and

would

most

enjoy

would

be to

go

for

a

short

tour

behind

the

German

lines

and

see

what

it

all

looked

like.

I

quite

agreed

with

them,

but

by

the use

of

the

telescope

we

were

able

to

visualize

a

great

deal

of the

German

common task and

daily

round.

One

early

morning,

when

I

was

at

First

Army

Sniping

School,

it became

necessary

that

a

recently-

joined

N.C.O.

who had

just

come

out

from

England,

should

be

what

Archibald Forbes'

German

general

called

a

little snooted.

Almost as

soon

as

it was

light

we

went

down

to

the

line

and

crawled

up

through

a

wood which

overlooked

the

German

lines.

This

wood

would

have

been

an

almost

ideal

place

-for

ob-

servation,

and,

indeed,

there were

two

or three

ob-

servation

posts

there,

but,

as

usual,

some

incoming

division

had

wanted some

of

the

material

which

went

to

the

making

of

these

posts

and

had

torn it

from

them,

thus

giving

them

most

royally

away.

The

result

was

that

the

woods

were

by

no means

a

health

resort,

as

one

never

knew

when

the

Germans

would start

shelling

them.

139



AN

OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

need

heavy guns

to

deal with

them.

No

doubt

there

is a

great

satisfaction

in

having

an

absolutely

safe

hole

into

which

to

creep

when

artillery

fire

begins,

but

it

is

doubtful whether

it

is

good

policy

to

make

too

good

arrangements

of

this

kind.

Many

Germans

no

doubt

saved

their lives

by

going

down

their

deep

dug-outs

and

into their

concrete

pill-boxes,

but

many

more,

as

is

common

knowledge,

when

our

men

came

over,

stayed

down

too

long

and

were

bombed

to

death.

But to return.

Lying

on that

hillside

in the

early

morning

has

always

remained,

for

no

particular

reason,

one

of

my

most

vivid

memories

in

the

war,

probably

because

there

was

no

shelling

on either

side,

and

one

had

for

once

the

opportunity

of

watching

the

enemy

moving

peacefully

about

his tasks.

One

point

that

struck

me

very

strongly

was

the

appearance

of

the

Germans,

who

were

certainly

very

much

less

smart

than

our

men.

The

little

round

caps

which

the

privates

wore

always

reminded

me

of

a

cook's

cap,

and

if

the

French

steel

helmet

was

a

thing

of

beauty

and the

British

certainly

not,

the

German

was

hideous

beyond

words.

The

colour

of

the

German

uniform

was

splendid,

and

very

difficult

to

pick

up.

When

in

a

back

area

observation

post,

one

was

often

watching

both

Germans

and

British,

and

there

is

no

question

at

all

that

the

British

were

much

easier

141



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

to

see

than

the

Germans.

This was not

because

khaki

was

a

bad

colour

to blend

with

backgrounds,

but

because

the

tops

of

the

British

caps

were

all

of

so

much

larger

area

than

the

German.

The

flat-

topped caps

which

so

many

of

the British

at one

time

wore

were

simply

an

advertisement

of

their

presence,

and even

the soft

caps,

for

wearing

which

officers

were

arrested

when

on

leave

by

conscientious

A.P.M.'s,

were

too

wide.

Any

flat surface

worn

on

top

of

the

head

is

certain

to

catch

every

bit of

light,

and

a

flash

of

light

means

movement,

and

draws

the observer's

telescope

as

a

magnet

draws metal.

The

ideal

army,

could

I

clothe

it,

would

wear

a

very

curious

shape

of

cap,

with

certainly

an

uneven

outline.

But

I do

not

need

to

labour

this

point.

You have

only

to

look

at

the

photographs

contained

in

this

book

to

see

what

a

terrible

handicap

a

definite

outline

is.

'

There

was

one

incident

of

observation

which,

although

it did

not

happen

often,

gave

one a

distinct

feeling

of

importance.

Most

shelling

done

by

the

Germans

was

on

registered cross-roads

and

such-

like

spots,

and

always

when

they

saw

a

body

of

men

of

any

size

they

would,

of

course,

shell

it. But the

observer,

who

usually

went

into

his

post

rather

late

as

in

the

early

morning

observation,

owing

to

the

mist

and

the

position

of

the

sun,

was

impossibL

142



AN OBSERVER'S

MEMORIES

often

received

the

honour

of

a

special

shelling

all

to himself.

This

was

not the

usual

chance

shelling,

as

that,

as

I

have

said,

was

always

done

upon

the

roads,

and

very

often

the

observer

made

his

way by

foot-

paths

or

across

the

open

ground.

I think the

Germans

often

suspected

observation

posts,

and

they paid

a

compliment

to observers

by

shelling

all

those

who

moved

in

their

neighbourhood.

143



CHAPTER

VII

THE

CURRICULUM

AND

WORK

AT

FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

OF

S.O.S

I^HE

making

of

a

good

shot

in

a

course

of

seventeen

days

is

no

easy

matter.

The

First

Army

School

of

Sniping

was,

as

I have

said,

founded for

the

in-

struction

of

officers

and

N.C.O.'s

who

should,

in their

turn, instruct,

and all

who

came

to

it were

supposed

to be

already

good

shots. As

a

matter

of

fact

the standard

was

wonderfully

high,

and

we

very

rarely

had

a

hopeless

case.

Did

such

a man

put

in

his

appearance,

there

was

only

one

thing

to

be done,

and that was to send him

back to

his

battalion.

Yet

although

a

great

mass

of

good

material

came

to

us,

we

were

nearly always

able

to

improve every

student's

shooting

by

30

or

40

per

cent.

It

is

won-

derful

what

can

be

done

in

seventeen

days

if

both

J:he

class

and

the

instructors

are

working

in unison.

Each

class used

to

begin

with

an

inspection

of

rifles,

followed

by

a

lecture

on

care

and

cleaning,

at

which

the value

of

the

polished

barrel

was

taught

with

no

uncertain

voice.

144



THE

CURRICULUM

AND

WORK

There

were

many

difficulties

in

the

way

of

teaching

shooting

with

telescopic

sights,

when

the issue

of

these

was

so

limited

as

it

was

in

France.

Many

times

officers

who

ought

to

have

known

better

advocated

the

shooting

away

of

a

mass

of

ammunition

through

telescope-sighted

rifles at

ranges

of

five or

six

hundred

yards.

It was hard

to make

these

officers

realize

that

the

sole

value

of

a

telescopic

rifle

lay

in

its

extreme

accuracy,

and

that

if

the

rifle

were

continually

fired

through,

the

barrel

would become

worn,

and

the

best

shot

in the

world,

were

he

using

it,

would

find

his

group

spreading

ever more

widely

upon

the

target.

It

was

necessary,

therefore,

that

the

happy

mean

should

be

struck,

so

every

officer

and

N.C.O. who

came

to

the

school

was ordered

to

bring

with

him

two

rifles,

one

of

them

with

open

sights,

and

until

a

man

had

proved

that

he could

shoot

really

well

with

open

sights,

he

was

not allowed

to

touch

a

telescopic-sighted

rifle.

As

a matter

of

fact,

anyone

who can

make

good

shooting

with

the

ordinary

service

rifle

will

find

very

little

difficulty

in

improving

his

marksmanship

when

he

is

promoted

to

a

telescopic

sight.

One

of

the

greatest

difficulties

that

we had

the

difficulty

which

literally

haunted

the whole

of

in-

struction

in

France,

was

the

fact

that

the

telescopic

sights

were

set,

not on

top,

but

at

the

left-hand

side

of

the

rifle.

This

caused

all

kinds

of

errors.

The

145

10



SNIPING IN FRANCE

set-off,

of

course,

affected the

shooting

of

the

rifle,

and

had to

be allowed

for,

and

the

clumsy

position

of

the

sight

was

very

apt

to

cause

men

to

cant

their

rifles,

and

some

used the left

eye.

Worse

than

all,

perhaps,

in trench

warfare

was

the fact

that

with

the

Govern-

ment

pattern

of

telescopic

sight,

which

was

set

on

the

side of

the

rifle,

it was

impossible

to

see

through

the

loopholes

of

the steel

plates

which

were

issued,

as

these

loopholes

were

naturally

narrow

;

and

looking

into

the

telescopic

sight,

when

the

muzzle

of the

rifle

was

pointing

through

the

loophole,

one

got

nothing

but

a

fine view

of

the

inside

of

the

steel

plate

and

the

side

of

the

loophole. Why

the

telescopic

sights

were

set on

the sides

of

the

rifles

was never

definitely

or

satisfactorily

explained,

but

it

was

always

said

that

it was

done

so

that

rapid

fire should be

possible.

I

believe

the

decision

was taken in

the

War

Office,

and

if

this

is

true,

and

the

sight

was

set

on

the

side

for

this

reason

(and

one

can see

no

other

reason

why

it should

have

been

so

set)

then

surely

whoever

was

responsible

can have had

no

knowledge

whatever

of

the

use

of

telescopic

sights.

To

take a

telescope

sight

off a

rifle

occupies

not

two seconds

of

time,

and to

think

that

a

sniper

could

or

would

ever

do

rapid

fire

through

a

telescope

sight,

or

need to

load

with

a

clip,

shows

nothing

short of

incredible

ignorance.

At

any

rate,

the

Germans

made

no

such

mistake,

though

they

made

many

others.

146



THE

CURRICULUM AND

WORK

Nevertheless,

the

sights

came

out

to

us in

this

form,

and

by

the

time

that

representations

had been

made

from

high

quarters

in

France

asking

that tele-

scope

sights

should

be set

on

top

of

the

rifle,

an

altera-

tion

was

impossible,

as it

would

have

thrown

out

all

the

factories

who

were

engaged

in

the

manufacture

of

these

weapons.

But

once

again,

many

a

German

owed

his

life to

the

original

decision.

To

take a

concrete instance.

One

day

I was

down

in

the

trenches and

watching

No-Man's-Land

with

a

telescope.

There

was

a

sniper

beside me

who

had one

of

my

rifles,

a

Mauser,

which

had

a

telescope

sight

on

the

top,

and

with

which

he was

able

to

fire

through

his

loophole.

It

was

very

early

in the

morn-

ing,

and

the

light

had

not

strengthened,

when

a

work-

ing

party

of

Germans

appeared

who

had been

working

under

cover

of some

dead

ground.

They

had

but

a

few

yards

to

go

to

regain

their

own

trench.

The

sniper

who was

next to me

got

off a

shot,

but two of

the

snipers

armed

with

the

Government

weapons

a little farther

along,

who

were

waiting

at

loopholes,

found

that

neither

of them

could

bring

their

rifles

to bear at

the

extreme

angle

at

which

the

Germans

were

disappearing.

Both

ran out

from

their

posts

to

try

and

get

a

shot

over

the

top,

but

they

were,

of

course,

too

late.

This

is

only

one instance

of

a

thing

that

was

always

happening.

As

we

could not

get

the

sights

altered,

147

10*



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

the

First

Army

and

the

nth

Corps

arranged

that

their

workshops

should

cut

special

sniping plates

with

large

loopholes

for

the

use

of

snipers

armed

with

telescope

sights.

But even so

it

was

always

un-

satisfactory,

and

the

sight

on

the side

of

the rifle

had

a

very

circumscribed

field

of

view

when

used from

behind cover.

In

order to show

how

little

telescope

sights

were

understood,

it

was,

I

think,

in

July,

1916,

that

Lieut.

-

Colonel

P. W.

Richardson

came

out

to

France

to

lecture on

telescopic

sights.

On

his

departure

he

sent in

a

report

to

G.H.Q.

as

to

the

inaccuracy

of

these

sights.

Colonel

Richardson intended

to

draw

attention

only

to the

inaccuracy,

for

there

is no

man

who is

keener

on

these

weapons

or who

knows

their

value better

;

but

the

authority

into

whose

hands

the

report

fell

read

it

quite

differently,

and a month

or

two afterwards

there came

down to

Brigades,

and

indeed

to

all

our

formations,

the

question

from

G.H.Q.

as to

whether

it

would

not

be

well

to

abolish

telescopic

sights

altogether, especially

as

economy

was now

so

urgent.

The

answers

that

went

back

to that

question

from

G.O.C.'s

were

couched in no

hesitating

language,

so

that our

telescope

sights

were

not

taken

away.

Had

they

been

taken

away,

the

German

would

once

again

have attained

his

sniping

superiority,

and there

would

be

many

a

man now

alive

and

enjoying

life

who

would

never

have

left

148



*.j

Q

=

J

81

I

Q

Kj

J

C/5

o

a:

a



THE

CURRICULUM

AND

WORK

the

endless series

of

trenches

which

we were

yet

destined

to defend

or

capture.

But to

get

back to

the

course

at the

school.

Our

aim

was

to create

good

shots

in

as

short

a

time as

possible,

and not

only

must

they

be

good

shots,

but

they

must

also

be

quick

shots. After

finding

out

errors in

the

ordinary

way by

grouping,

we

eschewed

as far

as

possible

shooting

at

targets

;

the

round

black

bull

on

the

white

ground

was

very

rarely

used,

and

all

kinds

of marks

were

put

up

in

its

place.

The

head

and

shoulders

was

the

most

efficacious

target,

and

practice

was

further

carried

on

at

dummy

heads

carried

at

walking

pace

along

trenches.

In

fact,

where

such

appliances

as

we

had

at

the

school

are

lacking,

it is far better

to

allow

snipers

to

shoct

at tins

stuck

up

on

sticks

than

to

permit

them

to become

pottering

target

shots.

Speed

was

always

the

essence

of

sniping,

and

it

was

wonderful

how,

after

short

practice

at

the

disappearing

head,

the

men

began

to

speed up.

Competition

was

encouraged

to the

limit,

and on

every

course

a

picked

team

of

men

shot

against

a

picked

team

of officers.

Those

who

were chosen

for these

matches

were

those

who

obtained the

highest

scores

during

the

course.

Further,

a

number of

prizes

were

offered,

and

com-

petition

for

these

was

-/ways

keen.

Sometimes

we

had

the

Canadians

and

Colonials

shooting

against

what

they

called

the

Imperials,

and sometimes

149



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

the

representatives

of

the

Scottish

regiments

shot

against

the

English.

One

thing

we

always

made

a

point

of,

and that

was to take

up

every

shooter

to

his

target

and

show

him

exactly

what he

had

done. A

man

with

a

tele-

scope

who

spots

each shot

takes

infinitely

more

interest

in

what

he

is

doing

than

does

a

man

who

merely

has results

signalled

to

him,

but

going

up

to the

target

is

the

best

method of

all.

After

eight

days

with the

open sight,

those

who

were considered

worthy

passed

on

to

practise

with

the

telescopic.

One

of

our

great

difficulties

was that

the

telescopic

sights

were

so much

wanted in the

line

that

it

was

hard

to

call them

away

for

courses

;

but,

as

a

matter

of

fact,

many

battalions

seemed

to

keep

a

telescopic

sight

which

they

always

sent

on

the

course.

It

was

generally

a

bad

one,

but this

did not

much

matter,

as

we were

continually

having

snipers

sent

up

with

the rifles

they

were

actually

using,

in

order

that

they

might

shoot them

at the

school.

Thus

a man

might

come

on a

course,

and

if

he

got

a

good report,

might

be back

at

the

school

within

a

week

with

a

telescope

sight

which

he

was

thence-

forward

to use

and

which

we were asked

to

regulate

to

his

hold.

But

I

do

not

want

to

go

too

far

into

this.

question

of

shooting,

and

it

will

not be

necessary

to

say

more

than that

of

every

hundred

students

who

came

to

150



THE

CURRICULUM AND

WORK

a

course,

somewhere about

seventy-five

went

back

as

quite

useful

shots.

We

had

many,

of

course,

far

above

the

class

of

useful,

and

sometimes

the

competition

for

the

champion

shot

of

the classes

was

extraordinarily

keen.

Considering

the

very

small

bulls

and the

continually

moving targets,

the

scores made' at

the

school

reflected

great

credit

upon

the

students.

But

though

there

was

a

great

deal of

shooting

at

the

school

there

were

many

other

subjects

also

in

which

students were instructed.

One

of

these

was

observation.

The

way

that

this

was

taught

was

exactly

the

same

that I

had used from

the

earliest

days

of

1915.

Two

trenches

were

dug

at

a distance

of

three or

four hundred

yards

apart,

and one

of these

trenches was an exact imitation

of

a

piece

of

German

line. Those

who were to be

taught

observation

were

put

with their

telescopes

and

note

books in

the

other

trench,

while

a

couple

of

scouts

dressed

in

German

uniforms

showed

themselves

at

certain

points

of

the

German

trench,

and

generally

attempted

to

produce

the exact

happenings

that would

occur

were

those

under

instruction

watching

an actual

piece

of

German

line.

Thus

at one

point

of

the

trench

earth

would

be

thrown

up,

and

five

minutes

later

at

another a man

in

a

helmet

carrying

a

pick

would

pass

along.

Here

and there

a

loophole

would

be

opened,

and

so on.

The

observation

class

kept

a

look-out

upon

the

German

trench,

and noted down



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

in their

note books

the

time

and

place

of

all

that

happened

therein which

they

were

able

to

observe.

As

far as

possible,

every

member of

the

class was

given

a

telescope

of

equal

power,

and

it

was

an

extraordinary

thing

to see how while

some

men sent in

excellent

reports,

others

seemed

to

be

quite

incapable

of

accurate

observation.

Besides

teaching

the

use

of

the

telescope

for

front

line

work,

this

system

gave

a

very

useful

practice

lesson in the art

of

reporting things

seen.

Sometimes

the

officers

of

the

staff

or

the

Lovat

Scouts

attempted

to

crawl out

of the

German

trench

without

being

seen,

and

on

one

occasion

two

Lovat

battle

observers who

were

resting

at

the school

crawled clean

round an

officer class

unseen,

and

took

them in the

rear.

This

is

an

easy

enough

thing

to

do

when

the

ground

is

favourable,

but

our

trenches

had

been

very

carefully

sited,

so

that

there

were

at least

three or four

spots

in

which

a man

crawling

was

well within

view,

and

in

passing

across

these

he

had

to exercise

the

most

infinite care

if

he

wished

to obtain

success.

At

night

time these

two trenches

were

used

for

another

purpose

that

of

teaching

patrolling.

Be-

tween them

was

a

strip

of

typical

No

Man's

Land

with shell

holes

which

we

spent

a

whole

day

blowing

up,

wire,

old

uniforms

in

fact,

everything

to

make

it

as

like

the

real

thing

as

possible.

After

I left

the

school,

Major

Underhill

had

the

bright

idea

of

putting

152



THE

CURRICULUM AND

WORK

out

in this

No

Man's

Land a

number of imitation

German dead. In the

pockets

of

these

dead

were

soldbuchs

that

is,

the

German

pay-books

and

various other

identifications which

it

is

the

duty

of

scouts

to

collect and

send

to

H.Q.

I

think there

can

be

very

little

doubt that

the

conditions

under

which

patrols

worked

and

practised

at First

Army

Sniping

School

approached

the

real

in

a

very

high

degree.

For

instance,

all

our

work was

in com-

petition, very

often

the

officers

against

men,

or

Colonials

against

the

World.

Sometimes

the

defenders

were

supplied

with

pistols

and

Verey

lights,

which

they

fired

off

just

as

do

the

Germans. The

attacking

patrol

carried

with

it

small

pegs

with

the

patroller's

name marked

upon

them. These

pegs

they

stuck

into

the

ground

at

the most advanced or

important

point

which

they

attained.

A

certain

amount

of

teaching

of

patrolling

was

done

in

the

daytime

by

the use of

night glasses.

These

were the

invention

of

Major

Crum,

of

the

King's

Royal

Rifles. On

the

sunniest

day,

once

one

had

put

on

one

of

these

pairs

of

goggles,

one

could

not

see

more than

was

possible

on the

darkest

night,

and

there

is

no

doubt

that

a

great

deal was

learnt

by

watching

in

daylight

the

kind

of movements

that a

man

must

make

at

night.

Experience

of

scouting

in

No Man's

Land showed

that

our

patrols

were

most

often

spotted

at

the

153



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

moment of

leaving

or

returning

to our

own

trenches,

and

great

stress

was

laid

on the

proper

way

in

which

to

get

in

and out

of

a trench. Another

dangerous

moment

for

the

patrols

was

when

they

made

a

turning

movement. The

man

who

crept

out

with care

and

skill

was

apt

to

rise

to

his knees

as

he

turned,

and

if

a

Verey light

happened

to

be

in

the air at that

moment,

he

was

thus

apt

to

give

the

whole show

away.

There

were

many

other

subjects

taught

at

the

school

into which

I

need

not

go,

for

those interested

will

find

them all

set

out

in

the

appendices,

but

special

stress

was

always

laid

upon

marching

on

compass

bearings

by

night

It

was an

amazing

thing

how

few

officers

really

understood

the

prismatic

compass,

and

indeed,

how

high

a

percentage

of

them

did not

possess

a

compass

worth

understanding.

The advent

of

the

gas

mask,

or

box-respirator,

added

new

difficulties

to

training,

for

it

was

necessary

to

carry

out

a

good

deal

of

our

work

under

gas

alarm

conditions.

At

least once

on

every

course we

had

a

scouting

scheme.

For

this,

the

N.C.O.'s

and

men were

told

off

in small

parties,

each

under an

officer,

and

were

given

a

certain line to hold.

They

were

to

report

all

details

of

a

military

nature which

they

saw,

all

transport,

etc.

Some

of

our

staff

scouts

were

sent

out

early

in the

day,

and

were

ordered to

try

and

make

their

way

back

unseen

through

this

line,

and

the

staff

instructors

used

to

go

out

and see

what

they

could



THE CURRICULUM

AND

WORK

of

it. This

scouting

scheme

gave great

individual

play

to the

fancy

of the officer in

charge

of each

party,

and

many

of

them

used

it

to the full.

For some

reasons

a

story

was

started that

I had

once

gone

right

along

the road

which was the

line that

was

being

held

disguised

as

a

French

peasant.

I

had

never

'done

anything

of the

kind,

but

the

keenness

to

spot

me when

I did

go

round

was

always

a matter

of

amusement.

The

training

of

observers

at

the

school,

as distinct

from

the

front line

telescope

work which

I

have

described,

was

always

extraordinarily

interesting.

I

give

in

Appendix

A

the exact

course

the

Lovat

Scout

reinforcement

observers

were

put

through.

We

were

exceedingly

lucky

in

having

at

the

school

so

many

first-rate

glass-men,

so

that

it

was

possible

to

get

ahead

with

teaching

the

telescope

very

fairly

quickly.

Some-

times

through

pure

ignorance

a

young

observer,

or

an

observer

new

to

his

work,

would

think

he knew

a

great

deal more than

he

actually

did.

It

was

only

necessary

to

put

him

down for five minutes

beside

a

Lovat

Scout

for

him

to rise a

much wiser

and

less

lelf-sufficient man

Another branch

of

long-distance

observation

was

the

building

of

properly

concealed

observation

posts,

and

by

the time

the

school

left

Linghem,

the

plateau

was

honeycombed

with

posts

looking

in

every

direction.

Very

early

in

the

school's

career,

a

model

sniper's

155



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

post

was

built,

and

all

along

one

series

of

trenches

we

had

model

loopholes.

One

point

that

I

always

found

when

visiting

the

real

trenches

was that

nearly

all

loopholes

were

made

with

three

iron

plates

in

the

form

of

a

box.

This

s-hape

of

loophole

very

much

circumscribes

the

angle

of fire.

The

true

way

to

make a

loophole

is

to

set

the

two

flanking

plates

at

an

angle

of at

least

forty-five

degrees,

so that

the

field

of

fire

may

be

enlarged.

One of

the

most

important

object

lessons

which

we

used to have

was

to send a

sniper

into the

model

trenches

with

orders

to

fire

from

different

loopholes

in

turn.

The

rest of

the

class

then

watched

the

loop-

holes,

and

gave

opinions

as to

which one

the

shot

had

come

from.

It takes

a

considerable

amount

of

skill

to

fire from a

loophole

without

giving

away

your

position

by

the

gas

which

comes

from

your

rifle

muzzle.

These

demonstrations

also

taught

the

snipers

how

in

the

dry

weather

the

dust

round

the

mouth

of a

loophole

will

invariably give

it

away,

and

how

in

cold

weather

the

smoke

will

hang

a

little.

Lectures

on

aeroplane

photographs

were

another

side

of

our

work,

and

one

which

was

undoubtedly

very

necessary.

All the school

trenches

and,

indeed,

the

whole

school and

plateau

and

the

woods

around

it

had

been

photographed

from

the

air.

Each

officer

or

N.C.O.

student

was provided with

a

photo-

graph,

and

went over

the

actual

ground,

Captain



FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

S.O.S.

Showing

effects

and

importance

of

light

and

shade.



THE

CURRICULUM

AND

WORK

Kendall

accompanying

them to

explain

all

details.

In

this

way

a

practical

knowledge

of

what

trenches

looked

like

from

the

air

was

gained.

The

demonstrations

showing

the

use

of

protective

colouring

and

the

choice

of

backgrounds

always

interested

the

classes

very

much.

Often

the

whole

class

arrived

within

twenty

yards

of

a

man

lying

within

full

view

without

being

able to

spot

him.

On

one

occasion

during

a

big

demonstration,

one

of

the

staff

was

lying

out

in

a

coat

of

the

colour

and

contour

of

sandbags

on

top

of a

trench,

and

the

whole

party

of

staff

officers

were

all

round

him

without

having

spotted

his

whereabouts. When

I

pointed

him

out

a

foreign

officer

who

was

present,

and

who

evidently

did

not

understand

me,

thought

I

was

referring

to

an

object

a little further

on,

and

in

order

to

see

it

better

he

actually

leaped

on

to

the

camouflaged

man

As

a

matter

of

fact,

this

protective

colouration

scheme

business

can

very

easily

be

overdone,

for the

man

who lies

out in

the

open

is

at

the

mercy

of the

changes

of

light

and

shade.

What

is

an

absolute

protective

background

at

eleven

o'clock

may

become

quite

useless

at

twelve.

But it was

necessary

to teach

it

to

a

certain

extent,

as in

open

warfare

the

observer

and

the

scout

have to obtain

safety

by

concealment

rather

than

by

cover

from

fire.

Another

of

the

most useful

lessons

at

the school



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

was

undoubtedly

the

practical

one of

judging

distance.

On

the

average

I

think

students

were

worse at

distance-

judging

than at

any

other

subject,

but

a

little

practice

made an

enormous

difference.

The

ruling

idea

of

the School

was to

make

sniping

as

simple

as

possible,

and

jor

this

purpose

nothing

was

ever

used

in

building

a

post

or

loophole

which could

not

be

obtained

at once

in

any

trench

in

the British

Army.

There were

many

very

elaborate

loopholes

which

could

be indented for

from

the

Special

Works

Park R.E.

(Camouflage),

but

I

do

not

think

these

were

successful

unless

they

were

put

in

by

specially

selected

officers,

for

in

sending

indents

to

the

Special

Works

Park,

Commanding

Officers

usually

forgot

to

mention

the

background

and

the

kind of

earth

in

which their

trenches

were

dug.

A

demonstration

that

used

always

to

interest

the

class

exceedingly

was

one

which

showed

the

effect

of different forms

of ammunition

on

various

kinds of

loophole

plates,

British

and

German. Some

time in

1917

the Germans

produced

an

armoured

mask for

snipers.

This

was

of

steel,

and

of

great

weight

and

thickness,

and

indeed

it

looked

as

if

no

bullet

could

possibly

go through

it,

so

much

so that one

of

my

officers

volunteered

to

put

it on

and let

someone

have

a shot

at

him.

This

I,

of

course,

refused

to

countenance

for

a

moment,

and

lucky

it

was,

for

the

first

shot

went

clean

through

the armoured

head-



THE

CURRICULUM

AND

WORK

piece.

Anyhow,

I should

imagine,

whether

the shot

pierced

the

vizor

or

no,

the

man

in

it

must

almost

certainly

be

stunned

by

a

direct

hit.

Although

when first

I became

a

sniping

instructor,

I used to

have

some

firing

practice

at

five

and

six

hundred

yards,

when

I went

to the

First

Army

School

I

gave

this

up.

The

chances

of

hitting

a

German

head

at six

hundred

yards

with

a

telescope

sight,

if

there

is

any

wind

blowing

at

all,

are

not

great,

for,

as I have

repeatedly

said,

a

sighting

shot is

not

possible,

and I

came to the

conclusion

that

continual

popping

away

with

telescopic-sighted

rifles

at

six

hundred

yards

simply

wore

out their barrels. After

all,

a

rifle

only

lasts

at

its

highest

efficiency

for,

in

certain

cases,

as few

as five

hundred

rounds,

and

every

shot

taken

through

a

telescope-sighted

rifle shortens the

life

of

the

barrel.

We,

therefore,

until

warfare

became

more

open,

never

went back further

than four

hundred

yards,

and

our

greatest

difficulty

was to

teach the

snipers

to

appre-

ciate

the

strength

of

the

wind. The

system

by

which

wind

must be

taught

to

snipers

must be

both

very

accurate

and

very

simple,

for

some

of

the

best

snipers

who

came

to

the

school

had

difficulty

in

making

calculations.

Usually

we found that the

best

way

to

begin

to

teach

wind

allowance

was

to

take

the

man

up

on

the

range,

and

for

one

of

the

staff to

demonstrate

against

the

stop

butt.

The

class

all

had

telescopes,

and

the

puff

of dust

gave away

the exact

point

at



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

which

the

bullet

struck.

This

system

had the

further

advantage

of

teaching

snipers

what a

distance of

two

feet

looks

like

at three

hundred

yards.

But

in-

dividual

practice

is

the

only

way

to learn

wind-

judging.

At

the

school

we

gave

six

different

strengths

of

wind,

gentle,

moderate, fresh,

strong,

very

strong,

and

gale,

and

it

was,

of

course,

in the

judging

of the

gentle,

moderate

and

fresh,

that

the

difficulties

lay.

Our

range

had

this

advantage,

that

it

was

a

good

one

on

which

to

teach

wind

allowance

by

letting

the men

practise

for

themselves,

for

there was

almost

always

a

wind

blowing.

Night

firing

and

observation

by

moonlight,

as

well

as

many

other

schemes

which the reader who

is

in-

terested

can

see

for

himself

in

the

curriculum

which

is set out in the

appendix,

took

up

the

rest of

our

time

;

but,

from

the

very

earliest

days,

the

moment

the

day's

work

was

over we

used

to

adjourn

for

games.

At first we

used to

play

rounders and baseball of

a

kind.

Later we made

a

rough golf

course

of

three

or

four

holes

;

but

as

soon

as

we

got

our

Establishment

and

the

school

increased

in

size,

games

became

a

matter of

great

importance,

and,

as

usual,

football

was

by

far

the

most

popular.

We

had

throughout

a

very

good

Association

team,

and

sometimes

were

able

to

play

two

elevens

on

Saturday

afternoons,

and

all

the other

days

there

were

pick-up

sides and

punt-about.

160



THE

CURRICULUM AND

WORK

In

summer we

played

some

cricket

matches,

and

were never

beaten,

though

once,

one

lovely

summer

evening,

we

adjourned

for

dinner

at

the

end

of

our

opponents'

second

innings

having

fifty

runs

to

get

to

win.

When

we

came

out

to

get

the

fifty

it

was

so

dark

that

we

only pulled

it off

by

one

wicket.

In

June,

1917,

there

was

a

conference

of

sniping

officers

at

Boulogne,

and here

I

first

met

the Com-

mandants

of the

S.O.S. Schools

of

the

other

armies

:

Lt.-Col.

Sclater,

D.S.O.

(2nd

Army),

Major

Pem-

berthy

(3rd

Army), Major

Michie,

D.S.O.

(5th

Army)

and

the

Major

commanding

the

School

of

the

4th

Army.

All the

above

are

well-known

throughout

the

B.E.F.

for the

splendid

work

they

did.

One

point

which we

always

tried to

impress

on

all

who

came to

the

school

was

the

vital

necessity

for

snipers

and

observers

to

take

immediate

action

when

anything

unusual

and

not normal

was

seen.

I

give

the

following

instance

to

illustrate

this

essential.

One

da'y

I

had

been ordered to

visit

a

certain

bat-

talion in order to

go

round

their

sniping

posts

and

to look

over

their

telescope

sights.

As

through

some

mistake their

telescope

sights

were in

the

line,

I

had

to

use

my

own

rifle to demonstrate with.

At

this

time

I

was

shooting

with

a

.350

Mauser,

which,

of

course,

carried

special

ammunition,

and

after

the

lecture,

as

there

was

still

some

light

left,

I

wandered

up

to the

line

through

the darkness

of a



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

large

wood.

Here

there was a

railway cutting,

across

which

our

trenches

and

those

of

the

Germans

opposing

us

lay.

My

batman

was

carrying

my

rifle,

and

I de-

scended

into

this

cutting,

where we

had

a

post.

The

Germans,

at

a

distance

of about

250

yards,

had

also a

strong

post

across

the

cutting.

Four or

five

privates

were

keeping

a

look-out

upon

the

German

line,

but

none

of

them had

telescopes,

and the moment

I

used mine I

saw

a German

officer

who

was

standing

up

and

giving

directions. I

at

once

took

my

rifle

only

to

find that

my

servant had

left

the

cartridges

behind.

Although

I could

see

the

German

officer

quite

clearly

through

the

telescope

of

the

rifle,

it

was

getting

so

dark

that

I could

not

pick

him

up

with

the

open

sights

of

one

I

borrowed,

so

that an

accurate

shot

was

out

of

the

question

;

but

with

the

telescope

I

was

able

to

get

an

inkling

of

what he was

doing.

Very

obviously,

he was

superintending

the

placing

of

a

trench

mortar into

position

with which to bom-

bard

the

post

in

which

I

was

;

for I

could

see

quite

a

movement

of

men,

and

earth

was

being

continually

thrown

up.

It

rapidly

grew

quite

dark,

and I

went

back and

reported

the

matter

to the

proper

authority.

Now

the

proper

authority

was,

I

thought,

not

very

much

interested,

and

although

I

put

the

case

very

strongly,

and said

I

was

sure

the

minenwerfer

would bombard

162



THE CURRICULUM AND

WORK

our

post

next

day,

it

appeared

from

subsequent

events that

he

took

no

action,

nor

did

he

ring

up

the

guns

and ask them to

demolish

the

German minen-

werfer

that

night

as

I

begged

him to do. The

result

was

that

shortly

afterwards our

post

was

demolished,

with

loss of

life.

There

is

no

doubt

that

on

that

evening

the

star

of

the

German

officer

was

in

the

ascendant,

for

had

I

had

a

cartridge,

the

chances

were

enormously

against

his

ever

having

left

the

trenches

alive,

as I

had

the

range

from

the

map

and

knew

the

shooting

of

my

rifle

to

an

inch.



CHAPTER

VIII

WILIBALD THE

HUN

[This

and

the

following

chapter

are

representative

of

the

two sides of

sniping

i.e.

shooting

and

observation.

The

incidents

occurred.]

\A/

rHO

'

VE

7

u

got

there

?

**

Mr.

Harrison,

sir

;

killed, sir.

A

short,

red-haired

officer

ranged

up

alongside

the

stretcher,

turned

back

the

blanket,

and

somewhat

hurriedly

replaced

it,

Damn

those

pointed

bullets,

he

said,

speaking

in

a

detached

kind

of

way

and

half

to

himself.

His

mind

was

working

already

on its

problem.

Where did

it

happen

?

Caisson

Trench,

sir.

That

sniper

Wilibald.

When

?

Just

after

nine,

sir.

Anyone

with

him

?

Sergeant

Small,

sir.

The

officer

turned,

and the

stretcher-party

resumed

its

way.

He

stood

watching

them for

a

little,

his

thoughts

roving

from

the

horrible

way

in

which

a

pointed

bullet,

fired

from

a rifle with

a

muzzle-



WILIBALD

THE

HUN

velocity

of

3,000

feet

a

second,

will

at

times

keyhole,

to

the deeds

and

too-haunting

personality

of

Wilibald

the

Hun. British

troops

have

throughout

the

war

given

names to

any

German

sniper

whose

deeds

lent

him

a

personality.

Fritz

is

generic

;

but once

let

a Hun

impress

himself

by

skill,

and

he

is

christened.

Thus

we

have

known

Adolfs,

Wilhelms,

Old

Seven-

trees,

Bluebeard,

and

a

hundred

others.

At

first,

thanks

to

the

Duke

of

Ratibor,

who

collected all

the

sportsmen's

telescopic-sighted

rifles

in

Germany

and

it is

proof

of

German

far-sightedness

that

a

vast

percentage

of

them

took the

military

cartridge

the

Hun

sniper

took

heavy

toll

against

our

blunt

open

sights.

Later,

things

happened,

and

the

plague

was

stayed

;

but

in

the

days

of

this incident the

Hun

and

the

Briton were

still

striving

unevenly

for

mastery.

The

officer

turned

at

length,

and

walked

slowly

down

the

trench

till

he came to

company

head-

quarters.

A

second-lieutenant,

standing

at

the

en-

trance

to

the

dug-out,

was

unloading

a

rifle.

Hullo, Bill,

said

the

officer.

Whose

rifle

?

My

batman's.

What

have

you

been

doing

with

it

?

'

:

Wilibald

shot

Jack

Harrison

through

the head.

I

Don't,

said the

red-haired

officer

shortly.

Why

not

?

Have

you

ever shot

with that

rifle

?



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

No.

The

red-haired

officer

raised

his

eyes

wearily.

Wilibald's

bag

is

big enough

already.

Wilibald

sits over there

he

indicated

the

German

position

with

a

swinging

movement

in

some

hole

or

other

as

snug

as

a

bug

in

a

rug,

with

a

telescope

sighted

rifle

w

r

hich

he

knows

to

the

inch.

You

go

and look

for

him with a

rifle

you

don't

know

to

a

yard.

You

fool

All

right,

Red.

We know

your

hobby.

Only

we

wish

you'd

deliver the

goods.

Meaning

Wilibald

?

Yes.

Wilibald is

becoming

a

public

nuisance.

He's

got

nine of

us,

including

an

officer

and an

N.C.O.,

and he's

got

more

than

a

dozen

of

the

West

Blanks

who

relieve us. He's

. . . Damn

that's

him.

A

shot

had

rung

out,

followed

by

an

ejaculation.

The

two officers

hurried

along

the

trench

to where

in

a

bay

a

consequential private

was

pouring

iodine

into

a

sergeant's

cheek.

Three or four other

privates

were

talking

excitedly.

It

come

from

the

'Un

trench.

It

didn't. It

come

from

the trees

in

the

spinney.

.

That's

right.

The

fifth

tree.

Naw.

The

sixth.

Garn

Red,

with

a

word,

broke

up

the group,

and

addressed

the

sergeant

:



WILIBALD

THE

HUN

Hullo,

Small.

What's

happened

?

I

was

takin'

a

spy,

and

Wilibald

'ad

a

drive

at

me.

Clipped

my

cheek,

'e

did,

said

Small,

in

the

aggrieved

voice

of the

N.C.O. whose

dignity

has been

touched.

Then,

for

God's

sake,

don't

take

a

spy,

Small,

until

you

learn

how to do

it

without

offering

a

target.

Let's

see

your

cheek.

Only

a

scratch.

That's

lucky.

Now,

did

you

see where

the

shot

was

fired

from

?

Beyond

that

it come from

the

left

flank,

I did

not,

sir.

I-

All

right.

Go and

get your

cheek

bandaged.

As

the

sergeant

saluted

and

went

off

down

the

trench, Red,

having

ordered

the

observers

to

keep

a

good

look-out

upon

the

enemy

trench,

took

off

his

cap,

and,

fixing

it on

his

stick,

told Bill

to

raise

it

slightly

above the

parapet

until

the

badge

of

a

famous

regiment

glinted

in

the

sun,

while

he

watched.

Nothing

happened.

Red

laughed.

Wilibald's

not

a

dasher,

said he.

He's a

regular

Hun.

Probably

has

some rule

about

not

firing

unless

he

can

see

half

the

head

he's

aiming

at.

*

Shoot

to kill

'

is

his

motto.

Useful

man,

Wilibald. I

wonder

if his

company

commander

appreciates

him.

After

passing

along

the trench

and

warning

its

garrison

not

to

give

unnecessary

targets,

Red

went

a

round

of

his

observers.

They

were

stationed

at

loopholes

and in

O.P.s.



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Keep

a

good

look-out,

and

try

to

spot

Wilibald

if

he

fires

again.

The

light

will be

pretty

good

when

the

sun works

round behind

us.

Which

part

of

the

trench

do

you

think

he

is

in,

sir ?

asked a

lance-corporal.

Don't

know

;

perhaps

not in the

trench at

all.

Some

of

the

Royal

shires

thought

he

was in

the

spinney,

and

some

thought

he

was

in

the

willow-trees.

He

got

twelve

of

them.

He must be

dealt

with.

Yes,

sir,

said

the

lance-corporal

optimistically.

It was

four

o'clock

in

the afternoon

when

Red,

having

passed

down

an old

disused trench

in

the

rear

of the British

position,

crawled

cautiously

out

behind

the

parados.

Here

was an

area

seamed

with

shell

holes,

each half-full

of

green,

scummy

water,

little

piles

of

rotting

sandbags, rusty

wire,

nettles,

and

coarse

grass.

About

fifty

yards

behind

the

front line a

heavy

shell

had

fallen

almost

on

the

top

of the

almost

imperceptible

rise

which

culminated

at

that

point.

This

shell hole was

Red's

objective,

for

from

it

he

could,

he

knew,

get

a fair view

of

the

Ger-

man

trenches. It

was

not

a

safe

place

to

visit in

the

morning,

when

the sun

was behind

the

German

lines,

and

everything

in

the British

stood

out

clearly

to

their

Zeiss

glasses

;

but in

the

afternoon

the

position

was

reversed,

and

the

Hun

observers were in

their

turn

looking

into

the sun.

To this

place

Red

made

his

way.

It

was

long

168



WILIBALD

THE

HUN

before

the

days

of

snipers'

robes

of

canvas,

painted

yellow

and

green

and

black,

which

for

such

work

would

have

been

useful,

though

the

earlier

patterns,

cut

like

a

greatcoat,

were

difficult to crawl in.

Later

a

pattern

of

overall

shape

was

issued,

which

gave

free

play

to

the

knees

;

but,

as we

say,

such

issues

were

not

yet

available.

At

length,

Red

reached

the

shell

hole,

and

slowly

made

a

place

for

his

telescope

among

the clods

of

earth

upon

the

crater-lip.

Then

he

bent

himself

to

a

careful

study

of

the

scene.

The line of

the

German

trenches

was

marked in

white,

for

it

was

a

somewhat

chalky

country,

with

here

and

there

loophole

plates

sticking

gauntly

up

on

the

top

of the

parapet.

To

these

Red

gave

no

attention.

Many

of

them

were

dummies

;

the

danger-spots,

he

knew,

were

set lower

;

often

upon

the

ground

level,, where,

through

some

gap

in

the

rusty

wire,

the German

sniper's

eyes

watched

cease-

lessly

for a

target. Very

carefully

Red

examined

the

German

trenches. Well

he

knew

their

appearance.

One

by

one

he

picked

up

the familiar landmarks

;

here

a

machine

gun

emplacement,

there

a

suspected sniper's

post.

All

was

quiet.

Once

a

sentry

fired,

and

the

bullet

hummed

like

a bee

high

above

him.

Next,

Red

turned more

to the

business

in

hand the

loca-

tion

of

Wilibald.

No

easy

business,

since there

was

a

great

divergence

of

opinion.

He had been located

so

169



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

often

;

in

a

sniping-post

by

the

black

sandbags

for

at

one

point

in

the

Hun

trenches

there

were

a

number

of

black

sandbags

;

the

Germans

used

all

colours

on

that front.

Red

turned

his

glass

on that

point.

Yes,

there

seemed

to

be

a

post

there,

but

there

was

nothing

to

prove

that

it

was tenanted.

Then

he

tried

the

spinney

;

but

neither

the

third

tree

nor

the

fifth

yielded

up

any

secret. Then the

ruined

house

or

hovel

;

after

that,

the

wide

expanse

of No Man's Land.

As

he

watched,

Red remembered

the words

of

the

Corps

Commander

:

There

is

no

No

Man's

Land.

It

must

be

our

land

right

up

to

the

enemy

trenches.

That was

an

ideal

to

live

up

to.

But

stare

now

as

he

would,

and as

he continued

to

do

for

an

hour,

he

saw

nothing,

could

see

nothing

of

Wilibald. Broken

wire,

shell

holes,

sandbags,

pulverized

bricks

and

mortar,

men

lying

in

queer

positions,

men

whose

ragged

tunics

the

evening

wind stirred

strangely,

men

who

would

never

move

again.

All

Red's

life

he

had been

apt,

in

moments of ten-

sion,

to

recur

to

a

phrase

which

made

a

kind

of

background

to

his

thoughts,

and

now

he found

himself

repeating

:

Exiled

and

in

sorrow

far

from the

Argive

Land.

He turned

round

and

glanced

at

the sun.

It

was

sinking

red,

like

a cannon-ball.

Then

he turned for

a

last

look

at

No

Man's

Land

and

the

Hun

positions.

Nothing

stirred.

Far

away

on

the

right,

a mile

or



WILIBALD

THE

HUN

two

away,

a

machine

gun

sounded

like

a

rapidly

worked

typewriter.

A

bat

flew

and

turned

above

the

British

trench

fifty yards

in front

of

him.

Red

crawled back.

In the

trench he

met

his

brother

officer

Bill.

Hullo,

Red.

Any

luck

?

No.

Bill

laughed.

Wilibald's

some

man.

Red

nodded.

That

evening

at

mess

Wilibald formed

the

topic

of conversation. The Colonel

spoke

of him

very

seriously.

He

must

be a

splendid

shot,

said he.

He

puts

it

through

the

loophole

in

the

post

in

Bay

16,

two shots in

three at

least,

so

Carpenter,

of

the

Blank-

shires,

was

telling

me.

Said he

supposed

he'd

got

one

of

those

big

Zeiss

telescopic

sights

which

magnify

four

times.

Shooting

with 'em must

be

as

easy

as

falling

off a

log.

Yes,

sir,

said Red.

It

was a

full

hour

before dawn that

the

chill

woke

Red

in

his

dug-out. His

thoughts

switched

at

once

on

to the

subject

of Wilibald. The man

had

taken

over

twenty

British lives. He

pictured

him

waiting

at his

loophole,

his bearded cheek

pressed

to the

stock

of

his

rifle.

A

fine

shot,

no doubt

Carpenter

had

said

that

he

put

two

shots

out

of

three

into

the

loophole

of

Bay

16

sniping-post

.

.

.

Good

shooting.



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

.

.

.

Dashed

good.

It

was

cold,

though

The

first

cold

morning.

By

Jove

Red

had

an

idea.

He

rose

and

dressed

hastily,

his

dressing

consisting

of

little but

pulling

on his

boots

and tunic. He

took

his

telescope

and

made

his

way

along

the

dark

trench

until

he

came

to

Bay

16.

A

figure

was

leaning

against

the side

of the

post.

Red

realized that

it was

Corporal

Hogg,

a

N.C.O.

of sound

sense.

Corporal

1

Yes,

sir

Anyone

in

the Post

?

No,

sir.

You

told me

not to

have it

manned

at

night,

lest the flash

should

give

it

away.

Quite

right.

Now

listen.

I

want

the

loophole

shut.

As

soon

as

it

is

light enough

to

shoot at

5.15

say

I

want

you

to

open

it

cautiously.

Open

it from

the

side,

in

case

Wilibald

got

that

?

'

:

Yes,

sir.

Understand.

Loophole

to

be closed

till

5.15

a.m.

Then

to

be

opened

by

you

cautiously,

and

from

one

side.

I

shall

be

out

in

the

shell

hole

behind

the

parados.

Half

an hour

later

Red crouched

in the

shell

hole,

his

telescope

discarded,

since

its

field

of

view

was

too

narrow.

In

front

of

him

lay

his

watch,

which

he

had

synchronized

with

that

of

Corporal

Hogg.

The

hand marked

5.11.

The

moments

passed.

Red's



WILIBALD

THE

HUN

heart was

beating

now. He

glanced

a last

glance,

a

very

hurried

glance

at

his

watch.

It

was

past

the

fourteen minutes

Hogg

would

be

opening

the

loop-hole.

Bang

A

shot

had

rung

out.

From

the

garden

or

what

was

once

the

garden

of

the

razed

house,

not

seventy

yards

distant,

a

little

wisp

of

gas

floated

away

to

the

cold

morning

star.

Very

cautiously

Red

wrapped

a

bit of

sandbag

round his

telescope,

and

pushed

it

on the

little

plot

of

turnips.

At

first

he

saw

nothing.

Then

he

was aware

of

some

turnip-tops moving,

when all

the

rest were still.

A

moment

later

he

had

made out the

top

of Wilibald's

head,

garlanded

with

turnip-tops,

and

the

upper part

of

Wilibald's

large

German

face.

This,

then,

was

the

explanation

of

the accurate

shooting

and

the

long

death-roll.

Wili-

bald had

been

firing

at short

range.

Red

felt it

was

almost

uncanny.

Hitherto,

in

trench

warfare,

as far

as

daylight

was

concerned,

the

Huns

had

seemed

to

him

almost

an

abstraction,

creatures

apparent

to the sense of

hearing

certainly,

but

troglodytes

who

popped

above

ground

for

only

a

passing

moment,

and

then

only

to

dis-

appear.

But

this

man,

not

one

hundred

yards

away.

. .

.

Red

withdrew

into

the shell

hole,

and

quickly



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

mapped

out

his

course.

He

must

at once

get

back

to

his

own

trench.

To

do

so

meant

a

crawl

over

what

must

be

the

skyline

to

Wilibald,

and

consequently

a

point

Red

could

hardly

hope

to

pass

unobserved.

Red

marked a thistle.

It

was

there

that

he would

come

into

view.

He

would

remain so

for

about

ten

yards.

Of

course,

could

he

once

regain

his

own

trench

he

could take

steps

to deal

with

Wilibald,

but

at

present

the

Hun

held

the better cards.

Red

smiled

grimly

when he

thought

of

his crawl

to

the

shell

hole

of

the

previous

evening.

To

the

sun,

which

was

shining

straight

into

Wilibald's

eyes,

he

most

certainly

owed

his

life.

Now that

sun

was

behind

Wilibald. . . .

Red

started.

As

he neared

the

thistle,

his

heart beat

fast and

quick.

He

passed

the

thistle. He

felt

very

like a

fly

crawling

over

an

inverted

plate

while

someone

with

a

fly-trap

waited to strike.

He

was

crawling

straight

away

now.

The

thistle was

behind

him.

Another four

yards

two

one still

Wilibald

did

not

fire,

and with

a

deep

sigh

of

relief

Red

hurled himself into the disused

sap

and

safety.

Later

the

C.O. was

speaking.

So

Wilibald's

gone

west

?

Yes,

sir.

How

did

you

spot

him

?

>:

The

cold

woke

me.

I

have

noticed

how

the

gas

from

a

rifle

hangs

on

chilly

days.

Wilibald

forgot



WILIBALD

THE

HUN

that.

He

had a

shot

at

the

loophole

of

No.

16

Bay

Post,

and

I

was

watching,

and

spotted

him.

He

was

lying

out in the

turnips,

about

seventy

yards

from

our

line.

He had

turnip-tops

fixed

round

his

cap,

and

lay

in

a

hole he'd

dug.

He

must

have

come

out

before

dawn

and

gone

back

after

dark.

He

was a

pretty

gallant

fellow,

sir.

The

C.O.

nodded.

D

d

gallant,

said

he.

I

thought,

sir,

if

you'd

no

objection,

I'd take a

patrol

out

and fetch

him

in

for

purposes

of

identifi-

cation.'

3

So

Wilibald

was

brought

in.

His

cap,

some

letters

in

his

pocket,

and his

shoulder-straps

were

forwarded

to

Brigade

;

but

his

rifle,

beautifully

fitted with

a

Zeiss

telescope

sight,

which

had

taken

over

twenty

British

lives,

turned

its

muzzle

east

instead

of

west,

and

began

to

take

German

lives

instead.

175



CHAPTER

IX

THE

CAT

two

snipers

of

the

Royal

Midlandshires,

the

shooter

and

the

observer,

were

comfort-

ably

in their

post.

The

shooter

was

longing

for

a

cigarette,

which

regulations

forbade

lest the

enemy-

two hundred

yards

away

should

see

the

smoke

issuing

from

the

concealed

loophole

;

but the

observer,

Private

William

Entworth, was

studying

the

parapet

opposite.

Suddenly

he

spoke

:

Line

of

water-tower.

Red

sandbag.

Left.

Two

feet.

Saunders'

eyes

picked

up

the

water-tower

in

the

distance,

ranged

to

the

parapet,

found the

red

sand-

bag,

then

swung

to the left

of

it.

Yes,

something

moving.

He

cuddled

the

stock of

his

rifle,

and

brought

the

pointer

in

the

telescope

to bear.

Then

slowly

he

began

to

squeeze

the

trigger.

Don't shoot.



THE

CAT

Entworth was

only

just

in

time.

Why

not,

ole

son

?

It's

only

a

cat.

A

'Un

cat 'Ere

goes.

Come

off

it.

If

you

get

shootin'

cats

outer

this

post

Mr. NowelPll

Besides,

it's

rather

a

nice-

lookin'

cat.

Tortoiseshell

colour.

We 'ad

one

in

Ferrers

Street

'e

reminds

me of.

...

There,

'e's

climbin'

up

on

the

bloomin'

parados,

curlin'

round

and

goin'

to

sleep

just

as if

there

wasn't

no

war.

Shall

I

enter

'im

?

Wot's the

good

?

Dunno.

Shows

we was

awake.

'Time

11.25

Ac.

Emma. Cat

(tortoiseshell)

at

K

22.^35.45.

Action

taken

:

None.'

So

wrote Private

Entworth

with

laborious

pencil.

As he finished

a

voice

sounded

outside.

Who's

in

there

?

Private

Entworth.

Private

Saunders.

Shut the

loopholes.

I am

coming

in.

Well,

seen

anything

?

questioned

Mr.

Nowell,

the

Sniping

and

Intelligence

Officer

of

the

Battalion.

4

They've

been

working

on the

post

at

K.22.

0.85.60.

Seen

any

Huns ?

Only

a

cat,

sir.

I've

entered

it in the

log-book.

It's

sunning

itself

on the

parados

now,

sir. Line

of

water-tower.

Red*?sandbag.

177

12



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Yes,

I

have

it,

said

Nowell,

who

had taken

the

telescope.

Shall

I

shoot

'im,

sir

?

Why

should

you

?

'E

probably

kills

rats

and

makes

life

brighter-

like

for

the

'Un,

sir,

by

so

doing.

There's a

glut

o'

rats on

this

sector,

sir.

The

cat

looks

very

comfortable.

No,

don't

shoot,

Saunders.

Entworth,

give

me

that

log-book.

The officer

turned

over

the

pages.

I

wonder

if

anyone

has

ever

seen

that

cat

before

?

Hullo,

yes.

Private

Scroggins

and

Lance-Corporal

Tew two

days

ago

in the

afternoon.

Here's the

entry

:

'

3.4

pip

emma

K.

22.

.35.

40.

Cat on

parados.'

'

Howell's

eyes

showed

a

gleam

of

interest.

Note

down

whenever

you

see

that

cat,

said

he.

Yes,

sir.

And

keep

a

bright

look-out.

Yes,

sir.

Once

more

the

loopholes

were

shut,

and

Nowell,

lifting

the

curtain at the

back

of the

Post

which

prevented

the

light

shining

through,

went

out.

His

steps

died

away along

the

trench-boards.

Think

we'll see it in

'

Comic

Cuts

'

(the

universal

B.E.F.

name

for

the

Corps

Intelligence

Summary).

'At

K.22.C.3545,

a

tortoiseshell-coloured

he-

cat.'

I don't think

said

Saunders.

178



THE

CAT

Shouldn't

wonder.

The

cove wot

writes

out

'

Comic

Cuts

'

must

'a

bin

wounded

in

the

'ed

early

on.

Sort

o'

balmy

'e

is.

ii

Meantime

we

must

follow

Mr.

Nowell

down

the

trench. He

was

full

of

his

thoughts

and

almost

collided

round a corner

with a

red-hatted

Captain.

Sorry,

sir,

said

he,

saluting.

Righto

my

mistake.

Can

you

tell

me

where

I

shall

find

the

I.S.O.

of

this

battalion ?

asked

the

Staff

Officer.

My

name's

Nowell,

sir. I

am

the

Sniping

and

Intelligence

Officer.

Good.

I'm

Cumberland

of

Corps

Intelligence.

Nowell looked

up

with

new

interest. He

had

heard

of

Cumberland

as

a

man

of

push

and

go,

who

had

made

things

hum

since he had come to the

Corps

a

few weeks

back.

Anything you

want

?

continued

Cumberland.

You've

been

sending

through

some

useful stuff.

I

thought

I'd come

down

and have

a

talk.

Nowell

led

the

way

to

his

dug-out.

He had

suffered

long

from

a

very

official

Corps

Intelligence

G.S.O.,

whom

Cumberland

had

just

replaced.

Under

the

old

regime

it

never

really

seemed

to matter

to

the

12*



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Higher

Intelligence

what

anyone

in

the

battalion

did,

but

now

Cumberland

seemed to

take an

interest

at once. After

a

quarter

of

an

hour's talk

Cumber-

land

was

taking

his

leave.

Well,

said

he,

anything

you

want

from

Corps,

don't

hesitate

to ask.

That's

what

we're there

for,

you

know. Sure

there

isn't

anything

?

As

a

matter of fact

there

is,

but

I

hardly

like

to

ask

you.

Why

not ?

It's

such

a

long

shot,

sir.

Well,

what is

it

?

I'd

like

aeroplane

photos

taken

of K.22

squares

C.

and

D.

opposite

here.

New

photographs,

sir.

Cumberland was about

to

ask a

question,

but

looking

up

he

caught

the

slight

flush

of

colour

that

had

risen

in

Nowell's

face.

Righto,

he

said

easily.

We

rather

pride

our-

selves on

quick

work with

aeroplane

photos

up

at

Corps.

I'll have

the

squares

taken

to-morrow

morn-

ing

if

visibility

is

pukka.

And

the finished

photos

will

be

in

your

hands

by

five

o'clock.

Good

afternoon.

Cumberland strode

along

the

trench,

and

Nowell

stood

staring

after

him.

Never

asked me

what

I

wanted

'em

for,

he

muttered.

Taken in the

morning

;

in

my

hands

by

afternoon.

Why,

in

old

Baxter's

time

such

efficiency

would

have

killed

him

of

heart-disease.

Well,

let's

180



THE CAT

hope

that cat's

playing

the

game,

and

not

leading

a

poor

forlorn British Battalion

Intelligence

Officer

to

make

a

fool of

himself,

ni

The

next

afternoon

the

aeroplane photos duly

arrived,

together

with

a

note

from

Cumberland

:

DEAR

NOWELL,

Am

sending

the

photographs

of

K.22.C.

and

D.

taken

to-day,

also

some I

have

looked

out

of

the

same

squares

which

were

taken

six

weeks

ago.

It

would

appear

from

a

comparison

that

a

good

deal

of

work

has

been

put

in

by

the Hun round

C.

3.5.

It

looks

like

a

biggish

H.Q.

I

have

informed

C.R.A.

who

says

it

will

be

dealt

with at

3

pip

emma

to-morrow,

1

8th

inst.

C.

CUMBERLAND,

Capt.

G.S.

IV

It is

five minutes

to

three

on

the

following

day,

and

the

bright

sun

which

has

shone

all

the

morning

has

worked

round

behind

the

British

position.

In

the

morning

two

gunner

F.O.O.'s

have visited

the

trenches,

compared

certain

notes

with

Mr.

Nowell,

and

gone

back to

their Observation

Posts

on

the

higher

181



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

ground.

Nowell

himself has decided

to

watch

events

from

the

O.P.

in which

was

laid

the first

scene

of

this

history.

He

hurries

along

to

it,

and

calls

out

:

Who's

in there

?

Private

Saunders. Private

Entworth,

sir.

Shut

the

loopholes.

I'm

coming

in.

He

goes

in.

Move

along,

Entworth,

and

I'll

sit

beside

you

on

the

bench

and

observe

with

my

own

glass.

Get

yours

on

to

the

spot

where the cat

was.

Got

it ?

Right.

Two batteries

of

6-inch Hows, are

going

to

try

and

kill

that

cat, Entworth,

in

a

minute

and

a half

from

now.

Zero

at three

o'clock. Nice

light,

isn't

it

?

At

these

words

of

Nowell's

several

thoughts,

mostly

connected

with

his

officer's

sanity,

flashed

through

Entworth's

rather

slow

brain,

but

long

before

they

were

formulated

Nowell

rapped

out

:

Here

they

come.

Sounds

just

like

half a

dozen

gigantic strips

of silk

being

torn

right

across

the

sky

were

clearly

audible

in

the Post.

At the

same instant

through

the

watching

glasses

heaps

of

earth,

tin,

a

stove-pipe,

were

hurled

into

the

air. There

were

other

grimmer

objects,

too,

as

the

shells rained down.

Fifteen

minutes

later,

Mr. Nowell

having

gone,

Private

Entworth

was

speaking,

though

his

eye

was

still

glued

to his

glass.

Direct

'it

right

off and

right

into a

nest

of

'Uns.

182



THE

CAT

There

was

'ole

'Uns

and

bits of

'Uns

in

the

air,

I

tell

yer,

Jim

Saunders.

Loverly

shooting,

'twas

I

doubt

there's

anything

at

0.35.45.

left

alive.

There

is,

tho'

By

there

is

There

goes

that

ruddy-

coloured cat over the

parados

like a

streak,

and

what

*o

for

Martinpunch

And

finally

an extract

from

Comic

Cuts,

the

Corps

Intelligence

Summary

of

the

next

day

:

A

cat

having

been

observed

by

our

snipers

daily

sleeping

on the

parados

of

a

supposedly

disused

enemy

trench

at

K.

22.

0.3.4.

^

was deduced

from

the

regu-

larity

of

its habits that the cat lived

near-by,

and

owing

to the fact

that

the

German trenches

at this

point

are

infested

by

rats

probably

in

a

dug-out

occupied

by enemy

officers.

Aeroplane

photographs

were taken

which

disclosed the existence

of a

hitherto

unlocated

enemy

H.Q.,

which

was

duly

dealt

with

by

our

Artillery.



CHAPTER

X

THE

TRAINING

OF

THE

PORTUGUESE

AX THEN

first

we saw

the

Portuguese

troops

upon

the

roads

of

France,

we

did

not

dream

that

it

would

fall

to

our

lot

to train

them

in

sniping,

scouting

and

observation,

but

it

did so

fall,

and

after

one

or

two

Portuguese

officers

had been

attached

to

the

school

for

instruction,

we were

suddenly

ordered

to take

an

entire

Portuguese

class.

This

was

the

first of

three

or

four,

and

we

usually

had

eight

officers and

forty

N.C.O.'s

and men at

a

time.

The

Portuguese

were

equipped

largely,

as

is

known,

by

the

British,

and had

served

out to

them

our

short

service

rifle.

In

the

Portuguese

Army

they

use the

Mauser,

so

our rifle

was

new

to all

ranks,

and

had

to

be

carefully

explained.

Of

course,

the

great

difficulty

in

training

Portuguese

troops

lay

in

the

necessity

for

the

use

of

interpreters.

One of

my

N.C.O.'s

was able

to

talk

Portuguese,

which

was

of

great

assistance,

and

from

time

to

time

184



TRAINING THE

PORTUGUESE

an

English-speaking Portuguese

officer

was

attached

;

but

for

the most

part

none

of

the

officers

and

men

who

came to the school

could

speak

a

word of

English,

and

tjie

result,

as I

say,

was that

we had to

carry

on

through

interpreters.

In

one

of

the

first

classes

there

was a

Portuguese

sergeant

who was

extremely

capable,

and

very

keen on

his

work.

As

a mark

of

appreciation

I

gave

this ser-

geant,

when

he

went

away,

a

very

nice

telescope.

About

three

weeks

later the

sergeant,

who

had

spent

the inter-

vening

time

in

the

trenches,

turned

up

at

the

school

and

said

that

he wished

to

speak

to

the

Commandant.

He said

that

he

had

come

to

thank

me

again

for

the

telescope,

as

it had

enabled him

to

spot

a

concentra-

tion of some

fifty

Germans,

on

to

whom

he had

successfully

directed

artillery

fire.

He

had

taken

the

trouble

to

walk

out

quite

a number

of

miles

at

least ten

or twelve

to

inform

me

of

his

success.

Poor

fellow,

he

was

afterwards

badly gassed,

and

when

I

last

saw

him

was

in

a

very

bad

way.

He

was

a

most useful

man

as an

observer,

as

he

had

been

the master

of some

small

coasting

craft

which

used

to

sail

up

and

down the coast

between

Lisbon

and

Setubal,

and

had

knowledge

of

instruments.

Considering

that

the

Portuguese

troops

did

not

know

anything

about

our

rifle,

they

really

came

along very

quickly

in

shooting.

One

of

the

classes

was

at

the

185



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

school when

we

were

informed that

the

Portuguese

Corps

Commander

and

Staff

and

various

British

G.S.O.'s

would

come

over

to

see a

demonstration

two

days

before

the

course ended.

The demonstra-

tion

included

shooting

at

dummy

heads

exposed

for

four seconds

five

rounds

;

application

on

a

6-inch

bulls-eye

at two hundred

yards

;

an attack

upon

a

position,

and

a

demonstration

of

the work

of

scouts.

As

soon as

the

Portuguese

troops

realized that

they

were to be

inspected

at

the

end of

the

course,

there

was

a

tremendous

competition

among

them

to

get

into the

shooting

team,

and

when

the

day

arrived

the

eight

who

were

picked

obtained

34

hits

out

of

40

shots

on

the

dummy

head. At

the

200

yards

application

the

team

scored 208 out

of

a

possible

224.

This

shows

how

quickly

shooting

can

be

taught

when both men and instructors

are

all

out

for

success.

The

greatest

difficulty

we

had was

training

Portu-

guese

as

observers

;

for none

of

them had

used

a

telescope

before,

and

it was

very

difficult to

make

them

realize its

possibilities.

Of

course,

I

am here

talking

of

the

private

soldiers. The officers

in their

observation

often made

excellent

reports,

and

de-

veloped

the

greatest

keenness on the

work. There

was

one

thing

which

occurred,

owing

to

my

attempting

to

speak

Portuguese

myself,

which

always

struck

me

as

not

without its

humorous

side.

186



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

and

Infantry

Schools,

to

give

demonstrations

on

patrolling,

turned

up

at

the

school.

The

Portuguese

held the trench

while the

demonstrators

set

out

to

show

them

the

way

in

which

a

reconnaisance

patrol

should

be conducted.

I

was

lying

beside

the Portu-

guese

trench,

and

at once

realized

that

something

was

afoot.

Presently

one of

the

Portuguese

officers

came

up,

and

said,

Our

men

say

that

they

hear

them

and can

capture

them.

I

told

them

to

go

ahead,

and do it.

Well,

that

patrol

developed.

A battle

was

going

on at

the

time in the

north,

and

all

the

plateau

was

lit

with

the

flashes

of

the

guns

and the

flares

of

the

Verey

lights,

which

the

Germans

kept

firing

into

the

air.

For

a

long

time

there

was silence. The

Portu-

guese,

who

had had

several

days

at

the school

and

were

learning

well,

had sent

out

a

strong

patrol,

which

very

skilfully

worked

round and surrounded

the

hostile

reconnaissance.

I

do

not know

what

happened

in

No

Man's

Land,

but

the

sergeant

who

was

doing

the

demonstration,

and

who was a

ju-jitsu

expert,

famous

in

pre-war

days

in

the

music

halls,

was

captured

and

carried

in

by

the

Portuguese.

There

must

have

been

a

considerable

scrap,

for

the

sergeant

was

too

stiff

to

come on

parade

next

day

The

Portuguese

were

much

pleased

at

their

success,

and

almost

immediately

afterwards

they

went back

to

the

line,

where

a

German

patrol

of

eleven carne

188



TRAINING THE

PORTUGUESE

out

against

them. The

Portuguese

tried

their

sur-

rounding

tactics with

such success that

they

killed

eight

and

captured

three.

One

day

I was

asked

by

the

Portuguese

Corps

commander

to

attend

a

review

of

the

Portuguese

Army,

which was

being

held

at

Marthes,

some six

miles

from

my

Headquarters.

When

the

time

for

the

march

past

came,

I

saw the

forty

observers we

had trained

go by

under

their officers

as

a

separate

unit,

each

with

a

large

white

O

sewn

upon

his

sleeve.

The

great

difficulty

was

to obtain

telescopes

for

these

observers,

for

the

demand

was,

all

through

the

war,

vastly

in

excess

of

the

supply.

The

G.S.

(General

Service)

telescope

used

by

signallers

in the

British

Army

was,

I

believe,

afterwards

issued

to

the

Portuguese

troops,

and this was

a

quite

good

enough

glass

for

the

purpose.

Another

part

of

our

training

which

the

Portuguese

troops

took with

enthusiasm

was

the

physical

train-

ing

and

ju-jitsu.

Sometimes

when

we

had mixed

classes,

it

was

very

difficult

indeed,

as

all

lectures

had

to

be

re-

peated

in

Portuguese,

and

the

ordinary

daily

morning

talks

on

the care

and

cleaning

of the

rifle,

the

stalking

telescope,

or

on

the

work

of

snipers

in attack

and

defence,

which

usually

took

from

thirty

to

forty

minutes,

used

to

tail

out,

as each sentence

was

189



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

translated,

into

a

matter

of

an

hour

and

a

half

and

even

two hours.

But

I

think that,

on

the

whole,

the

Portuguese

troops

really

enjoyed

their

time at

the

school,

and

I remember

our

taking

the

field

at

Association foot-

ball with

a

good

sprinkling

of them in

our

team.

IQO



CHAPTER

XI

THE

MODERN

SCOUT

T

N

all

previous

Wars,

the

scouts

and

patrols

have

had

their

own

special

place.

In

this,

the

greatest

of all

wars,

although

there was much

scouting

done far

more than

in

any previous

war

yet

in

many

respects

it

was

of so

different

a

nature

that

a

new

era in

these

practices

may fairly

be said to have

set

in.

In

former

wars,

the

individual scout

had

far

more

chance. In the Boer

War,

for

instance,

Major

F.

R.

Burnham,

D.S.O.,

an

American

who

held

a

com-

mission

in

the British

Army,

made

a

wonderful

name

for

himself,

as did Dan Theron

on the Boer

side.

First

and

last,

I

suppose

that

Burnham was

the

greatest

scout

of

our

time.

Physically

a

small

man,

he

was

amazingly

well

knit,

and

very

strong,

and

his

many

feats

of

hardihood

owed

much

to

his

compact

and

untiring

build.

His name

will live on

account

of two

feats

the

first,

his

passing

through

the

entire

Matabele

Army

and

shooting

the

M'limo,

the

witch

doctor,

who

was

responsible

for

the

Matabele

War

;

191



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

and

the

second,

his dash

through

the

Boer

lines,

when

he

blew

up

the

railway

on

the

far side

of

Pretoria.

The

first

article

of

Burnham's

faith

was

absolute

physical

fitness,

and

his idea

of

physical

fitness

was

much

more

rigorous

than

that of

most

athletes.

It

was not with

him

a

matter

of

merely

keeping

his

muscles

of

speed

and endurance

in

good

fettle,

but

what

is

a

much

harder

thing

the

keeping

of

all

his senses at

their

highest

pitch

of

efficiency.

Thus,

apart

from

his

hearing

and

eyesight,

which

were

very

keen,

I

have

never

met

anyone

else,

except

one

Indian,

who

possessed

anything

like his

sense

of

smell.

He

could

smell

a

small

fire

in

the

open

at

an

extraordinary

distance,

and he told

me

that

this

power

had

often

been

of

the

greatest

value to

him.

But Burnham

was

essentially,

as

a

scout,

the

product

of

what

may

be called a

savage,

or

extra-

European

War,

and

in

this

war

there

was

no

one

on

either

side

who

had

anything

like the

same

oppor-

tunities

of

hand-to-hand

work.

Whereas

it

would

perhaps

be too

much to

say

that

the

day

of

Burnham

has

passed

for

ever,

yet

it

is

true

enough

that

a

new

generation

of

scouts

has

arisen,

whose

work,

or

much

of

it,

has

been

of a

very

different

nature. In

open

or

semi-open

warfare

a

scout

may

still

be

ordered

to

go

by

day

or

night,

and

find

out

if

this

or

that

village

is

occupied

by

the

enemy,

but

once

trench

warfare

sets

in,

and

the

battle fronts

of

the

opposing

armies

stretch

192



THE

MODERN

SCOUT

from

the

sea

to

Switzerland,

the work

of

the

scout

undergoes

great

changes.

His theatre of

action is

No

Man's

Land,

which

comprises

all the area

between

the

two

armies which

are

drawn

up

one

against

the

other.

The

Corps

Commander

of

the

nth

Corps,

Sir

R.

Haking,

would

never

allow

the

use

of

the

word

No

Man's

Land.

There

is no

such

place

opposite

my

Corps,

he

would

say.

All

the

land

right

up

to

the

edge

of

the

enemy's

parapet

is

our

land,

and

we have

got

to

have control of

it.

I

believe I am

right

in

stating

that

about

seven

out of

every

ten raids

undertaken

on

the

First

Army

Front

in

1916

were

the

work

of

the

nth

Corps,

and

they

had

long

held the record in

the

number

of

prisoners

taken

in

a

single

raid.

The

work

of

the

scout

was,

of

course,

to dominate

the

enemy

in

No

Man's

Land,

and

to

this

end

he

was

continually patrolling

it

during

the

hours

of

darkness.

Little,

as

a

rule,

is

done

by

daylight,

though

Gaythorne-Hardy,

who

was

Intelligence

Officer

of

the

4th

Battalion

of the

Royal

Berkshire

Regiment,

and

whom

I

have

referred to

before,

in

order

to

investigate

the

German

wire

under

Hill

63,

near

Messines,

decided,

after

looking

at

the

ground

with

a

telescope,

to

crawl out

by

day.

The German

lines were

some

three

hundred

to

four

hundred

yards

away.

The

season

was

summer,

and

the

grass

long.

193

*3



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

In

winter,

crawling

between

the

lines was

almost

impossible,

owing

to lack

of cover.

The

officer in

question,

accompanied

by

a

corporal,

crawled

right

up

to

the

enemy

wire,

and

got

all

information

and

a

complete plan

of

the

ground

and

obstacles. It

was

a

task

upon

which

any

but

a skilled

hunter of

big

game,

as

my

friend

is,

might

easily

have

given

himself

away.

To

crawl

across

three

hundred

yards

of

open

ground,

with hundreds

of

German

eyes

watching

for

any

movement,

and

bent

on

investigating

any suspicious

spot

with

a

machine-gun,

calls

for

courage

and

good

nerve.

This

officer,

however,

had

examined

his

route,

decided

to

make the

attempt,

and

he

came

back successful. He

said it

was

no more

difficult

than

stalking

a

deer. He was

awarded

the

Military

Cross,

and

the

corporal

is

now

a

sergeant

with

the

D.C.M.

But

not

much

was

done in No

Man's

Land

in

day-

light.

Snipers

lay

out

in

it,

and

sentries

watched

it,

and

both

sides

sent

a

deal

of

lead

across

it,

but

when

night

fell,

it

became

tenanted,

and

scouts

and

patrols

crawled

out

into

it and sometimes

never

came

back. The

aim,

of

course,

was

always

domina-

tion,

and in order

to

gain

domination

many

strange

things

were

done.

For

instance,

there was

the

Silent

Death,

as

it

was

called,

invented

by

the

Canadians,

who,

under

cover

of

darkness,

crawled

out

into

No

Man's

Land

194



iwing

by-] [Ernest

MnU

Night-work

in

No

Man's.

Land.



THE

MODERN

SCOUT

every

night,

and

lay

there

awaiting

the

advent

of

a

German

patrol.

If

such

came,

it

was

attacked hand

to hand

with

trench

daggers,

and its

members

killed

as

silently

as

possible.

This

soon made

the

Germans

very

shy

of

taking

their

evening

crawl,

when

so

many

of them

who

had

gone

over the

top

vanished

into

the

darkness

and

were never

heard of

again.

At

length

the

Germans

almost

gave

up

patrolling

in

that

sector,

and one

of

my

officers

who

used

to

be

in

charge

of

a

Silent

Death

party

has

often

told

me

how

dull

and

chilly

were

those

long

and

weary

waits

in

the

frost

or

the

rain,

waiting

for

Huns

who

never

came.

In trench

warfare,

No

Man's

Land

was

the

cockpit

of the

war.

Some

sections of it

were more

favourable

than

others

for

action,

but

every

evening

and

every

night

a

great

number

of

British

used

to

go

out

in

front.

When

one first

went

out,

it

seemed

almost

certain

that one

must

be

killed.

There

was

a

spas-

modic

sputter

of

fire

from

machine-guns,

but

as

an

actual

matter

of

fact,

moving

about in

No

Man's

Land

was

much

safer

than

it

seemed.

At

first our

patrols

were

very

haphazard,

and

you

could

sometimes

hear

a

private

roaring

out

that

a

patrol

was

out,

and

that

it

would

return

at.

such

and

such

an

hour

to

such

and

such

a

point.

This

was

giving

away

things

with

a

vengeance

to

any

Germans

who

spoke

English,

and

it

sounds

almost

195

13*



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

impossible

that

it

should

have been done

yet

it

was

done,

and

not in

isolated

cases

only.

I

do

not

think

that scouts ever

got

very

far

into

the

German lines

;

at

any

rate,

during

the

con-

tinuance of

trench

warfare. To

do

so

was

well-

nigh

impossible,

and behind

the

German battle-front

the

place

of

the scout

was taken

by

the

spy

or

secret

service

agent.

But

to

return

to No

Man's

Land.

There

was

a

certain

sergeant

who

got

a

D.C.M.

for

removing

a

trench

board.

A

raid

was

projected

by

us, and,

as

usual,

a

careful

rehearsal had

been

gone

through.

The

scheme

was to attack

a certain

sector

of

enemy

trenches

about

two

hundred

yards

long.

This

length

of trench

had to be

blocked off

at

each

end,

so

as

to

prevent

assistance

coming

to

the

enemy

down

the

trench

from

either

flank.

Two

parties

were therefore

told

off

to

capture

and

hold

the

two

points,

which

were

to

be

the

limits

of

our

raid.

Both

parties

went

over,

the northern

party

arriving

in

strength,

but

the

southern

had

casualties

from

machine-gun

fire,

and

finally

only

the

sergeant

and

one

private

arrived

in

the

enemy

trench.

Here

the

private

was

killed

before

the

enemy

fled,

and

there

was

only

the

sergeant

to

form

the

block and

keep

off

the

reinforcements which

were

sure to come.

.The

sergeant,

however,

was

a

man

of

resource,



THE

MODERN

SCOUT

and

he

swiftly

removed

the

duck-board from

the

trench

draining

well

a

large

sump

hole,

or

pit,

which

lay

between

him

and the

path

taken

by

the

retreating

Germans.

The

trenches

are

often drained

by pits

of this

kind,

dug

in

the

middle

of

the

right-

of-way,

and

bridged

by

a

duck-board

laid

across

them.

In these

pits

there

collected

a

mass

of

liquid

mud

as

thick

as

glue.

The

sergeant

removed the

duck-board,

and relaid it

eight

or

ten feet

on his

side of

the

mud-hole.

Then

he

went

round the

corner

of

the next

traverse,

and

waited to see what

would

happen.

Meantime,

the

main

raiding

party

had

got

to

work,

and soon

enemy

reinforcements

came

rushing

along

the

trench

towards

the

sergeant.

Seeing

the

duck-board

ahead

of

them,

they

mistook

the

position

of

the

mud-hole,

and

in

they

crashed. Soon

the

hole

was

as

full

of

men

as

is a

newly-opened

tin of

sardines. Next

the

sergeant

opened

fire

upon

them.

The

whole

raid

was

a

glorious

success.

Prisoners

were

taken,

and

German

dug-outs

blown

up

a

result

that

could

hardly

have

occurred

had

it

not

been

that

the

sergeant

had

the sense

and

acumen

to

remove

the

duck-board

; thus,

by

a

very

simple

action,

holding

up

quite

a

mass

of

reinforcements.

There

is

another

raid

story,

for

which

I

do not

vouch,

but

which

was

firmly

believed

in the

First

Army.

197



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

All

enemy

movement was

watched

by

aeroplanes,

and

photographed

and

reported.

As

the

war went

on,

the

science

of

aeroplane

photography

progressed

enormously.

It

is

hardly

too

much

to

say

that the

.rmans could

not

deepen

a

trench

without

our

'mowing

it

almost at once.

We

never

made

a

raid

or,

at

least,

need

never

have

made

one

without all

who

were

going

over,

even

down to

the

private

soldier,

having

the

opportunity

of

studying

photo-

graphs

of

the

trenches where

their

work

lay.

The

Germans,

of

course,

did

the

same,

but

in

a

1;

mited

degree,

as

their

aeroplanes

did not

dare to

me

over our

lines

in the

way

that

ours

crossed

t, eirs.

Once,

when

the

Germans

were

contemplating

a

raid,

their

Flying

Corps

succeeded in

taking

photo-

graphs

of

that

portion

of

our

trenches

which was

to

be

attacked.

With the

help

of

these

photographs,

the

German

Command caused

to be

built an

exact

replica

of

the

trenches which

they

intended

to

raid.

They

did

this

at

no

great

distance

behind

their

lines,

with

a

view

to

rehearsing

the raid

just

as

a

play

is

rehearsed

in a theatre.

We,

of

course,

often

did

the

same.

But to continue. One

of

our

aeroplanes

hap-

pened

to

pass

over

just

as the

Germans

were

having

a

daylight

rehearsal,

and,

noticing

the concentration

of

troops

and

the new

workings

of

earth,

a

photo-



THE

MODERN

SCOUT

graph

was

taken.

This

photograph

was,

of

course,

sent

in

the

ordinary

routine

to

Army

Headquarters.

The

Army

possessed

an

extremely capable

aeri?l

photography

expert,

who soon made his

deduc^io^r.,

and

as

he,

of

course,

possessed

the

photographs

Qi ,)

o

entire

front

line

system

of

the

Army,

it

was not

Ic^pg

before

he

had

identified

that

piece

of

it

which

the

Germans

had

copied,

and

on

which

they

were

medi-

tating

an

attack.

There

was

only

one

object

which

could lead

them

to

practise

attacks

upon

so

short

a

length

of line.

A

raid was

clearly

in

contemplation.

The

exjjf

t

informed

the

General

Staff

of his

discovery,

anc

General

Staff

informed those

who were

man

j;i

ng

the

threatened

area.

Preparations

were made and

precautions

taken,

and,

sure

enough,

the

Germans

came

over,

to meet

about

as

hot

a

reception

as

even modern

war

can

provide.

As I

say,

I do

not

know

if

this

story

is

apocryphal

or

not,

but

if

it

is,

others

about

our

aeroplane photo-

graphy

and its

amazing efficiency

were

common talk

in the

Army.

Psychologically,

going

out

into No

Man's Land in

the

dark,

especially

if

you

are

alone,

is

a

distinctly

eerie business.

I

really

have

no

right

to

write

much

about

it,

as

I was

only

out

in

front

on

a few

occasions.

On

one,

I

remember,

I

was more

frightened

than I

hope

ever

to be

again.

Although

the

story

is

199



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

personal,

as

it

is

against

myself

there

can

be

no

harm

in

telling

it.

I

had

gone

out to

a

cottage

which stood

in

No

Man's

Land.

It

was

pretty

dark,

and a

wild

night,

and

there

was,

of

course,

a

chance

that

some

German

might

be

in the

cottage,

which,

though

heavily

shelled,

was not

entirely

smashed.

After

listening

for

a while

and

hearing

no

sound,

I

went

in,

and

on

the

ground

floor

there

was

nothing

but

the

usual mass of

rubble and brick.

A

ladder

led

up

to the second

floor,

and

I

climbed

up

this

and

began

to

tip-toe

across the

floor.

One

got

a

good

deal

of

light

from

the

star-shells

which

were

thrown

up

by

the

Germans,

but

in

a

particularly

dark

moment

I

suddenly

felt

my

left

leg go

from

under

me.

I

thought

that

it

had

been

plucked

away

by

some

crouching

Hun,

or

else

that I had

been

hit

by

some

missile

in

fact,

never did

thoughts

come

quicker

or more

confusedly

What

had

really

hap-

pened

was

that

I

had

put my

leg

through

the

floor,

and

had

got

rather a

heavy jar.

But

anything

more

disagreeable

than

that moment

I have

never

experienced.

Of

course,

it

is

only

one

of

the

little

incidents

that

are the

hourly

lot of those who

go

out

into

No

Man's

Land,

but

one's

nerves

are

on

these occasions

strung

up

to

a

very

high pitch.

But,

as

I

say, my experience

of No

Man's

Land

was

200



THE

MODERN

SCOUT

really

so

small

as

to

be

negligible,

for

when

I

was

in

the

line

I was

sniping

or

observing

all

day,

and

you

cannot

do

that

and

work

at

night

also.

Crawling

out

into

No

Man's Land

in

daylight

is

a

very

different

business,

and if

there

is reasonable

cover,

it

is to

my

mind

more

satisfactory

to

crawl

out

then,

when

your

life

depends

on

your

own

skill,

than

to crawl

about

in

the

dark over

the

bodies

of

men

who

have been

dead

for

weeks,

and

when

Chance

of

the blindest

kind

absolutely

rules

the

game.

Now,

of

course,

when

a

patrol

is sent out the

report

handed

in

should

be

in

a

definite

and

generally

accepted

form,

giving

the

composition

of

the

patrol.

I can

perhaps

explain

my

meaning

best

by

referring

the

reader

to

the

appendix

on

Patrols,

at

the

end

of

this book.

Of

course,

patrolling

in

No

Man's

Land

is

only

one

small

part

of

a

scout's

duties,

and

when

the

war

became more

open

there were

many

opportunities

for

scouts.

One

point

that struck me

as

being

exceedingly

valuable

was

the

proper delivery

of

messages by

run-

ners.

Major

Crum

used

to

demonstrate

this

by

a

small

piece

of

acting

which

was

extraordinarily

well

done,

in

which

an

object

lesson

was

given

as

to how

not to deliver a

message,

and

how

a

message

should

be delivered. In

moments of

excitement

many

men

become

somewhat

prolix,

and

it

is of

the

utmost

201



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

importance

that

they

should be

taught

to

get

their

message

into

the

fewest

and

clearest

possible

words.

A

question

that

arose

as

the

war

went

on was

the

definition

of the

duties

of

a

sniper

and

a

scout. It

was

held

in

some

quarters

that a

sniper

and

a

scout

were

two

quite

different

men,

who had

in view

two

entirely

different

objects.

The

sniper,

those

who

held this view

said,

was

a

man

whose first

duty

was

offensive

action

against

the

enemy,

whereas

a

scout's

duty

was

not

to

fight,

but

to

obtain information.

We

at

the school could never see

it

in

this

light,

for

there

must

be occasions

when

a

scout

must

fight

to

get

his

information

back,

or

indeed,

to

obtain

it,

and

it

seemed

futile

that

in

the

morning

a

man

should

ask

himself,

Am I

to-day

a

sniper

or

a

scout

?

I

would

not refer to these

opinions

had

they

not

been

rather

widely

held.

A

modern

scout

must know

a

great

many

things

so

many

that

it is

almost

impossible

to detail

them

all,

and

for

this

reason

a

scout's

work

changes

with

the

conditions

under which

he

is

working.

But

I do

not think

that for

a

long

time

sufficient

use

was

made

of

modern science

in

the

equipment

of

the

scout.

A

scout

may,

in

a

single

two

hours

of

his

life,

be a

sniper,

an

observer,

and the

old-fashioned

scout who has

to

go

out

to find

out

things

at close

range.

He

has

to

be

essentially

an individualist

capable

of

seeing

and

seizing

his

opportunity.

He

202



THE

MODERN

SCOUT

must be

a man of instant

decision,

who

understands

the

value of

cover

and

background,

who

possesses

that

quality

which is

very

often born

in

men,

a

sense

of

direction.

His

training

was

exceedingly

difficult,

and

unless

he

had

a

natural

aptitude,

no amount of

teaching

was

of

any

real

practical

value.

Think

what

a

differ-

ence

it

makes

to

a

Commanding

Officer

to have

in

his

battalion

a certain number of

men,

however

few,

whom

he

can send out to

obtain

information,

and who

are

so

accurate

and

so

dependable

that

he can

always

act

upon

their

reports.

There

are

hundreds of

such

men in

the

Lovat

Scouts,

but

then,

of

course,

the

whole

trend of

their

lives is

towards

observation,

skilled

movement,

and

accuracy.

The

man

who

has

spent

twenty

years

on

the

hill,

and

who

has counted

the

points

on

a

thousand

stags,

who

knows the

differ-

ence between

every

track that

he sees

in

a

corrie,

and

who

is never far

from

his

telescope,

is,

when

he

goes

to

war,

simply

carrying

into

another

sphere

the normal

activities

of

his

life.

And

yet

there

should

be no

difficulty

in

training

a

number

of

scouts

in

every

battalion,

but

the

ideal

scout,

or

rather

the

ideal

scout

section,

in a

regiment,

should

be

looked

up

to.

Their

immense

value

should,

be

realized,

and due

credit

and honour

given

to them

for

their

skill.

The

scouts

of

a battalion

should

be

the

pick

of

that

battalion,

and the

fact

that

a

man

has

203



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

attained

the

rank

of

scout

should

be

signalized

by

his

receiving

extra

pay

and

extra

consideration.

As

long

as

war

lasts

it will

be

necessary

to

find

out

what

is

in

the

enemy''

s

mind,

and this

is

so

important,

that

those

who

prove

themselves

capable

of

discovering

and

of

giving

warning

of

what

is

about

to

occur,

should

be

objects

of

admiration

and

respect

to

all

their com-

rades.

Of

course

there

is another

point

which

struck

one

most

strongly,

and

this

was

the

examination

of

prison-

ers.

It

may

well

be

that

a

man

cannot

help

being

taken,

whether

through

wounds

or

otherwise,

but

it

is

of

the

first

importance

that

he

should

give away

nothing

to

the

enemy.

For

this

reason,

as

scouts

and

anyone

who has

anything

to do

with

any

kind

of

In-

telligence

work

are

always

put

through

a

much

more

rigorous

examination

if

they

should

be

captured,

we

were

very

strongly

against

badges

for

scouts.

Let

us

take

the

ordinary

Tommy.

If he

is

captured,

unless

it

unfortunately

happens

that

he

knows

of some

imminent

move

that

is to be

made,

there is

very

little

.

danger

of

his

giving

away

anything,

for

the

simple

reason

that he

knows

so

little.

But

a

scout

is

another

matter.

He knows all

the

posts

in our line

;

he

knows

something

of

the

system

by

which the

various offshoots

of

Intelligence

work

are

being

operated,

and

as he

has

been trained to

observation

of

detail

and

deduction,

204



THE

MODERN SCOUT

he

is

a

man

who,

if

he can

be

got

to

speak,

will

reveal

things

of

great

value

to

the

enemy.

The

only

two

questions

that

a

prisoner

need answer

are his name and

regiment,

but

many

and

sinister

are

the

tricks

by

which he

may

be

beguiled.

A

British

officer

who

is

supposed

to have

special

knowledge

is,

let

us

imagine,

captured

by

the

Ger-

mans.

He is

wounded,

and is

taken

up

to

the

Head-

quarters

of a

German

Division.

He is

examined,

and,

of

course,

gives

away

nothing.

Now

what

happens

?

Very

possibly

a

German

officer

comes to

him

and

says

:

Herr

Captain,

we

deeply

regret

that

there is no

room

for

you

in

the officers'

quarters

in

the

Hospital.

We

trust

that

you

will

not

object

if

you

are

put

in

a

room

with

a

British

N.C.O.

The

officer,

of

course,

says

he does

not

object,

and

he

goes

into

the

room. There

he

will

find a British

N.C.O.

heavily

bandaged

and

lying

groaning

upon

his bed.

It

is

inevitable,

if

they

are

two

or

three

days together,

that

conversation

will

take

place

between

them. The

so-called

British

N.C.O.

is,

however,

simply

a

decoy.

He is

not

wounded

at

all,

and

his

business

is,

by

clever

questions,

to

extract

certain

information which

the

British

officer

is

supposed

to

possess.

Again,

when

men

were

taken

prisoners,

very

often

into

the

guard-room

in

which

they

were

confined

would

be

thrown

another

Britisher,

bleeding

and

wounded,

who would

raise

a

tremendous

outcry

and

205



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

declaim

upon

his

wrongs.

The

newcomer,

as

a matter

of

fact,

often was

only

a

clever

actor

coached

to

his

part,

who

was

simply

put

into

the

guard-house

to

ferret

out

information.

These are not

isolated

incidents,

but a

commonly

accepted

policy

in

the

German

Army.

After

all,

it

is

natural

enough,

for a little bit of information

may

win

a

battle,

and

it

was

certainly

held

among

our

foes that

the

end

justified

the means.

But

as

the war went

on,

and these

things

came to

knowledge,

it

needed

some

very

clever

work

on

the

part

of the Germans to obtain

information from

those

who

had

been

warned. Of

course,

as

long

as

the

world

continues

there

are,

one

supposes,

men

who will

under-

take work

of

this

kind,

whether

for

money

or

urged

on

by

some other

motive.

The

motive

may

be

good

even.

The

decoy may

be

actuated

by

a

really

high

form

of

patriotism.

But

not

often.

For

the

most

part

he

is

one of

those men

who

have

a

touch

of

the

traitor

in

them,

and

who

are

in

some

way

perverted

in

their

minds.

Of

course

to

be

a

decoy

back

at

Divisional

Head-

quarters

is

a safe

and

probably

a

paying job,

but

it

is

one which

must

always

leave

a

very nasty

taste in

the

mouth.

So

much

for

German methods

of

interrogation.

When

we

took

German

prisoners,

they

were

very

often

in

a state

of

pitiable

fright,

for

they

had

been

206



THE

MODERN

SCOUT

absolutely

fed

by

their officers

with

stories

of

the

most

circumstantial nature

of

the

habitual

brutality

of

the

British

to

their

prisoners

;

and

yet

it

was

a

fine

sight

to

see

a

German

prisoner,

obviously

afraid

to

his

very

bones,

and

yet

absolutely

determined to

give away

nothing.

One

really

laboured under

an almost

in-

controllable

impulse

to

go

and

shake

such

a

man

by

the

hand. After

all,

courage

of

the

lonely

sort

is

surely

the most

glorious

thing

that we can

hope

to

witness,

and

whether

it is

displayed

upon

our

side

or

upon

the

other,

one feels

the

better for

having

wit-

nessed

it.

207



APPENDICES



APPENDIX

A

THE

following

is

a

programme

which

has

given

excellent

results

when

training Brigade,

Divisional,

Corps

Observers

and

Lovat

Scouts Observers.

1st

Day.

Lecture.

Maps

and

Conventional

Signs.

Practical.

Comparison

of

Map

with

the

Ground.

Setting

Maps.

Location of

points

by

drawing

rays.

2nd

Day

Lecture.

The

Stalking

Telescope.

Practical.

Front Line

Observation

with

Reports.

Instruction and

Practice

in

reading.

Map

co-ordinates.

Judging

Distance.

3rd

Day.

Lecture.

Contours,

gradients,

slopes,

etc.

Practical.

Pegging

out contours

on

the

ground.

Long

Distance

Observation

with

Reports.

Judging

Distance.

211



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

4th

Day.

Lecture.

The

Prismatic

Compass.

Practical.

Taking

Bearings.

Working

out

mutual

visibility

problems.

Concave

and

convex

slopes,

drawing

slopes.

5th

Day.

Lecture. The

use

of the

protractor.

Practical.

Plotting Bearings.

Re-section

problems.

Long

distance Observation

with

Reports.

6th

Day.

Lecture.

Scales.

Practical. Road

Traverse.

Filling

in

conventional

signs

and

contours.

Long

Distance

Observation

with

Reports.

7th

Day.

Lecture.

Use

of

Scouts

and

Observers

in Attack

and

Defence.

Practical.

Marching

to

Map

co-ord-

inates.

Selection of

positions

for

Ob-

servation

Posts.

Front

Line

Observation

with

Reports.

212



APPENDIX

A

8th

Day.

Scheme.

gth

Day.

loth

Day.

Lecture.

Practical.

Lecture.

Practical.

nth

Day.

Practical

1

2th

Day.

Practical.

1

3th

Day.

Practical.

1

4th

Day.

Bringing

in the

use of

Ob-

servers

in

Open

Warfare.

Construction

and

conceal-

ment

of Observation Posts.

Taking

Bearings

with

Compass.

Front

Line

Observation.

Locating

of

points

by drawing

rays.

Compass

March

(by

Day).

Aeroplane

Photographs.

Comparison

of

photos

with

the

ground.

Re-section

problems.

Handing

over

and relief

of

Observation

Posts.

Using

Telescope

as

Director.

Long

Distance Observation

with

Reports.

Use

of

Director

Board.

Making

and

plotting

a

Road

Traverse.

Making

a

Road

Report.

Compass

March

(by

Night).

Enlarging

Map

and con-

structing

scales.

Work

with

Director

Board.

Recapitulation

and

Examina-

tions.

213



APPENDIX

B

GENERAL

COURSE

AT

FIRST

ARMY

S.O.S.

SCHOOL

(From

this

the

Battalion I. O.

can

frame

Pro-

grammes

of

work

to

suit

any

period

of

Rest.)

The

following

lectures are

given

during

the

Course,

and

are

attended

by

all

students

except

in

the

case

of

No.

II,

which

is

attended

by

the

officers

only.

1.

Care

of

Arms

and

Grouping.

2.

The Enfield

1914

pattern

Rifle.

3.

The

Stalking

Telescope.

4.

General

lecture on

Map-reading.

5.

Patrolling

and

Scouting.

6.

Elevations

and

Wind.

7.

The

construction of

Sniping

and

Forward

O.P.'s.

8.

General

lecture

on

Telescopic-Sighted

Rifles.

9.

Duties

of

Scouts,

Observers and

Snipers

in

Attack

and Defence.

10.

Front

Line

Observation

and

Reports.

11.

Duties

of

the

Bn.

Intelligence

Officer.

12.

Aeroplane

photos,

with

Lantern

Slides.

214



APPENDIX

B

13.

General

Musketry

Lecture.

14.

Bayonet

Training

(by

Supt.

P.

and

B.

T.

First

Army).

(Note

:

Nos.

13

and

14

are

given

on

two

evenings

during

the last

week

of the

Course.)

In

addition

to

the

above

and

to

the

Programme,

the

officers

go

thoroughly

into such

subjects

as

:

1.

Map-reading

and Field

Sketching.

2.

Use

of

Prismatic

Compass.

3.

Enlarging

Maps

and

interpolation

of

Contours.

4.

Panorama

Sketching.

5.

Adjustments

and

care of

Telescopic

sights.

6.

Methods

and

principles

of

Instruction.

7.

Organization

and

Training.

8.

Practical

study

of

Ground.

Practical

work

is also

given

to

all

students

in

the

following subjects

at

night

:

1.

Patrolling.

2.

Marching

on

Compass

Bearings.

3.

Concentration

Marches with

and

without

Box

Respirators.

4. Siting

and

construction

of

Posts.

5.

Night Firing,

and the

use

of

Field

Glasses

and

Stalking

Telescopes

on suitable

nights.

215



SNIPING

JN

FRANCE

It

will

be

seen

that

the

two

Sundays

have

been

omitted

;

on

these

days

the

Range

is

open

to

all

ranks

for

voluntary

shooting

under a

qualified

Instructor.

Instruction

in

the use

of

Armour

Piercing

S.A.A.,

Disguising,

Methods of

Instruction,

Practice

in

Map

-reading, Taking

Bearings,

etc.,

etc.,

goes

on con-

tinually

while students

await

their

turn

to

fire.

1st

Morning.

General

talk

on

the

objects

of the

Course

and

discipline

during.

Thorough

examination of

open-

sighted

rifles

for

defects. Demon-

stration of

Grouping

and Hold-

ing.

Grouping

at

100

yards,

followed

by analysis

of

faults

and

correction

of rifles

where

necessary.

Afternoon. Lecture :

Care

of

Arms

and

Group-

ing.

(Practical)

Observation

on

a German

Trench

with

reports.

Criticism

of

Reports.

2nd

Morning.

Lecture :

The

Stalking

Telescope.

(Practical)

Repetition

of failures

in

Grouping

practice.

Applica-

tion

at

200-300

yards.

Observa-

tion

of

single

shot strike.

Afternoon.

Practical

Observation.

(a)

On

German

Trench.

(b)

Open

Country.

216



APPENDIX

B

3rd

Morning.

Lecture

:

The

Enfield

1914

pattern

Rifle.

(Practical)

Judging

Dis-

tance

up

to

600

yards.

Snap-

shooting

at

1

00-200

yards,

4

seconds'

exposure.

Application

at

200

yards.

Hawkins

position.

Afternoon.

Practical

Map-reading

on

the

ground

and

long

distance

observations

with

Reports.

4th

Morning.

Lecture

:

General

lecture on

Map-

reading.

(Practical)

Application

at

400-500

yards.

Application

at

unknown

range

(within

400

yards).

Afternoon.

Demonstration

:

Use

of

Ground

and

Cover.

(Practical)

Practice

in

selecting,

attaining

and con-

structing

hasty

observation

posts

for

open

warfare.

Cover

from

view

rather

than

Cover from

fire

to be

specialized

in.

5th

Morning.

Lecture

:

Patrolling

and

Scouting.

(Practical)

Application

at

300

yards.

Snapshooting

at

100 and

200

yards.

3

seconds'

exposure.

217



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Afternoon.

Demonstration

of

Camouflage

and

its

uses.

(Practical)

Scheme

:

Snipers

are

given

an

area

of

ground

in

which

they

must

es-

tablish

posts

utilizing

the

material

found

on

the

spot

for

disguise.

Observers select

posts

from

which

they

can

command

the above

area. The

snipers

will

fire blank

from

the

posts they

have

selected

at

any

observers

who

expose

themselves

;

also

endeavour

to

give

the

map-reference

of

their

targets.

The observers

endea-

vour

to

locate

and

give

map-

references

of

the

snipers' posts.

6th

Morning.

Lecture :

Elevations and

Wind.

Demonstration

:

Building

in

battens

for

and

spotting

enemy

snipers

;

actual

practice

in above

each

student to

locate

at least

two

snipers.

(Practical)

Snap-

shooting

combined

with

move-

ment

;

students

endeavour

to

ad-

vance

unseen

from

500

to

100

yards.

Targets

representing

enemy

heads

appear

at

odd

places

and

intervals

in

the

butts.

218



Afternoon,

8th

Morning.

Afternoon.

9th

Morning.

Afternoon,

loth

Morning.

APPENDIX B

Demonstration

:

Building

in

and

use of

Night

Firing

Boxes.

Actual

practice

in

above.

Observation

on a

German

trench,

the

appear-

ance

of which is

altered

by

moving

sand-bags,

loopholes,

etc.,

with

reports.

Lecture

:

The

construction

of

For-

ward

and

Sniping

O.P.'s.

(Prac-

tical)

Patrolling

with the

use

of

Night

Firing

Goggles.

Prac-

tice in

the

correct

use of cover

and

in

keeping

touch.

Applica-

tion

practice

at unknown

range.

Practice

in

marching

by day

on

Compass

bearings

with

and

with-

out

Box-respirators.

Lecture

:

General

lecture

on

tele-

scopic

sighted

rifles.

(Practical)

Zeroing

of

telescopic

sighted

rifles.

Complete

the

zeroing

of rifles.

Long

distance

observation.

Lecture

:

Duties

of

scouts,

obser-

vers

and

snipers

in attack

and

defence.

(Practical)

Grouping

at

100

yards

with

Telescopic

sighted

rifles.

Practice

in

scout-

ing

in

Open

Country,

with re-

ports.

219



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Afternoon,

nth

Morning.

Afternoon,

1

2th

Morning.

Afternoon,

Scheme

:

Making

Good

woods

and

enclosed

country

with

scouts

and

snipers.

Lecture

: Front line

observation

and

reports.

(Practical)

Ap-

plication

at

200

yards

with

tele-

scopic

sighted

rifles.

Snap-

shooting

at 100-200

yards,

3

seconds'

exposure.

Concentration

march.

Students

are

put

into

four

parties,

each

representing

a

platoon.

They

are

given

a

map

co-ordinate at which

they

must

concentrate

at

a

given

time.

Signals

representing

Gas

Alarm

are

given,

when

all students

put

on

their

box-respirators

and

continue

the march.

Lecture

:

Duties

of the

Bn.

In-

telligence

Officer.

(Practical)

Application

at

300-400

yards.

Observation

on a

German

trench.

Scheme

:

To

demonstrate

the use

of

Scouts

and

Snipers

as

a

pro-

tective

advanced

screen

to

In-

fantry

in

open

or

semi-open

war-

fare.

220



1

3th Morning.

APPENDIX

B

Lecture

:

Aeroplane

Photos,

with

Lantern

Slides.

Practical

study

of

aeroplane

photographs

on

the

actual

ground

depicted

in

the

photo.

Examinations in

Long

distance

and

Front

line

observations.

Oral

examinations. Mutual

In-

struction.

Written

examination.

Examination

of note-books.

Com-

petition

shoots.

Note

:

The

above

programme

is

only given

as

a

guide

;

changes

in

sequence

must

often

occur

through

inclemency

of

the weather.

Afternoon,

and

l6th.

221



APPENDIX

C

THE

following

are

the

rough

notes

used for

some

of the

Lectures

given

at

the FIRST

ARMY

SCHOOL

of

S.O.S.

in

France.

PART

I

CARE

OF

ARMS,

GROUPING AND

RANGE

PRACTICES

:

It

is

essential

that

the

Sniper

shall

have

a

really

clean rifle

if

he

is to obtain

the

extreme

accuracy

that is

required

of

him.

By

a

clean

rifle

I

mean

a

rifle

in

the

cleaning

of

which not

only

have

all

the

normal

precautions

been

taken,

but,

in

addition,

the

bore has received

a

very

high

polish.

This

high

polish

is

of

great import-

ance to

accurate

shooting,

and

to

be

efficient

as

a

Sniper

you

must

be far more accurate

than

the

average

Service

Shot.

Hence

the

necessity

for

going

rather

deeply

into

Care

of

Arms.

222



APPENDIX

C

AVOIDABLE

CAUSES

OF

INACCURACY

:

OILY BARREL

I

Is

a

great

cause

of

inaccuracy,

as

the

resistance

offered to the

bullet in its

passage

down

the

bore

is

varied,

and

thus

the

shooting

of

the rifle

becomes

inconsistent.

OILY

BREECH

I

This

prevents

correct

seizing

in

the

breech,

and

tends to

lead

to

a

blow-back.

If

a

blow-

back

occurs

there is

a

loss

of

driving power,

muzzle

velocity

is

decreased

and

accuracy

is

lost.

CORDWEAR

:

Is

caused

by

misuse

of

the

pull-through,

and

usually

occurs

at the

muzzle,

but

in

cases

of

extreme

negligence

it

may

be

found

in

the

cham-

ber.

When

it occurs at

the

muzzle,

gases

escape

through

the

cord

groove

as the

bullet

is

leaving,

thus

forcing

it

in the

opposite

direction.

If

in

the

chamber,

it is a

source

of

weakness,

and

a

burst

chamber

may

be

the

result.

FIXING

THE

BAYONET

I

Musketry Regulations

inform

us

that

with

the

S.M.L.E.

the

effect

of

fixing

the

bayonet

is to throw

your

shot 18

inches

high

at

200

yards'

range.

This

is because

the

extra

weight

slows

223



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

down the

vibration,

and

thus

converts

a

negative

into

a

positive

jump.

Hence,

as a

Sniper,

you

will

fire

without

your

bayonet

fixed.

(Note

:

From

tests carried out

at

this

First

Army

School

of

S.O.S.

it

would

appear

that

Musketry

regulations

greatly

over-estimate

the

effect

caused

by

fixing

the

bayonet.)

HOLD

:

Unless

the

Sniper reproduces

the

same

hold

for

each

shot

and

when

he

rests

his

rifle

rests it

always

at

the

same

point

(for

preference

the

middle

band),

his

shooting

can never

be con-

sistent.

AMMUNITION :

Different

makes of

S.A.A.

give

slightly

dif-

ferent

elevations

on

the

target.

This

is

because

the

Powders burn

at different

rates,

thus

slightly

altering

the

jump.

WARPED

WOODWORK

I

The

fore-end

is

fitted

so

as

not to

influence

the

barrel

when

firing.

The barrel

must

be

able

to

lie

perfectly

straight

as

each

shot

leaves it.

If

the

fore-end

is

warped

(and

warped

fore-ends

are

common)

the

barrel

will be

unable

to

lie

as

was

intended,

and

erratic

shooting

will result.

224



APPENDIX

C

CAUSES :

I.

Wet

entering

between

the

barrel

and

the

fore-end.

2:

Unequal dryness

such

as

caused

by

rifle

lying

in hot

sun

or

in front

of

fire.

3.

Dry

woodwork.

4.

Twisting

of

wood

through

insufficient

seasoning

before

use.

PREVENTION

OF

I

Oil

all

woodwork

daily,

ensuring

that

the

oil

penetrates

between

the

hand-guard,

fore-

end and

barrel.

CURE OF

:

Armourer refits

fore-end.

SOME

UNAVOIDABLE

CAUSES

:

NICKELLING

OR

METALLIC

FOULING

:

Is

really

an

obstruction

in the

bore

caused

by

a

portion

of

the

envelope

of

the

bullet

becoming

brazed on the surface

of the

bore.

It is

a

cause

of

great

inaccuracy,

and its

presence

should

always

be looked

for.

When

found,

it

must

be removed.

This

should

be

done

by

an

Armourer.

EROSION :

Is

the

gradual

increase

in

the

size

of

the

bore,

and

is

caused

through

the heat

generated

by

the



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

gases

slightly

fusing

the

metal. The

gases

rushing

over

the

metal

carry

away

minute

par-

ticles

of the

steel.

This

is the

factor

which

decides

The Life

of

the

Barrel

for

purposes

of

real

accuracy.

DRIFT

:

Is the

continual

deviation

of

the

bullet

in

the

direction

of

the

rifling.

About one

minute,

i.e.,

one

inch

per

100

yards,

must

be

allowed

for

this

at

the

longer

ranges

in

sniping.

OTHER

DEFINITIONS

:

SUPERFICIAL

FOULING I

The

fouling

that

appears

in the

bore

im-

mediately

after

firing.

It is then

quite

soft

and

easily

removed,

but

if

allowed to

remain,

it

becomes

hard,

difficult to

remove

and,

by

attracting

moisture from

the

air,

begins

the

rusting

process.

INTERNAL FOULING

:

Fouling

that

actually gets

below

the

surface

of

the

metal when

firing

;

this

gradually

sweats

its

way

to the surface

and

should

be

removed

as

it

appears.

(Note

:

If

cleaned

with

really

boiling

water,

the

pores

are

reopened,

internal

fouling

is

re-

226



APPENDIX

C

moved,

and

thus the

cause

of

sweating

is

done

away

with.

The

Barrel

must,

however,

be

dried

immediately,

or the

cure

will

be

worse

than the

complaint.)

CORROSION

:

Is the

black

pock-mark

or indentation

left

in

the

bore after

removing

rust.

CLEANING

RODS

I

Finally

it

is

suggested

that

a

cleaning-rod

properly

used

is

better

than a

pull-through

:

each

Battalion

is

authorized

to

hold

32

of

these

Rods

on

Charge.

(See

G.R.O.'s

512,

540

and

2,094.)

GROUPING

AND

RANGE

PRACTICES

:

It

must

be

understood

that

Grouping

with

the

Open

Sights

is a

definite test

of

(a)

the

rifle,

and

(b)

the

man.

Grouping

is

a

practical

system

of

locating

faults,

and

it is of the

utmost

importance

that

such

faults,

having once

been

located,

should

at

once

be corrected.

It

should also

be

clearly

understood

that

a

man's

average

group

at

a

given

range,

i.e.,

100

yards,

will

(except

for

the

error

of

the

day)

be

the

measure

of

his

capacity

at

all

ranges.

For

instance,

if

his

average

at

100

yards

be

a

3-inch

group,

his

best standard

will

be

a



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

6-inch

group

at

200

yards,

9-inch

group

at

300

yards,

1

2-inch

group

at

400

yards,

and

so

on.

Unless

this

fact is

clearly

understood,

we

shall

have

our

men

making

shot

corrections

when

actu-

ally

shooting

up

to

standard,

and if this is

done,

consistent

shooting

can

never be

obtained.

LESSONS TO

BE LEARNT

FROM

A

GROUP

:

1.

If

a man

makes

a

vertical

group

it is

fairly

safe

to

assume that he is

making

one

of

the

follow-

ing

errors

:

(a)

Varying

amount

of fore-

sight

taken.

(b)

Varying

point

of

Aim.

(c)

Not

restraining

his

breathing

when

trigger-pressing.

2.

If

he

makes

a

lateral

group

his

error

will

be

usually

found

among

the

following

:

(a)

Incorrect

centreing

of

fore-sight.

(b)

Varying

point

of

Aim.

(c)

Bad

let-off.

3.

If he

gets

a

good

group,

but

wide

of

the

aiming

mark,

it

will

be

safe

to

assume

that

his

rifle is

throwing

wide

and should

be

corrected

at

once

by

alteration

of

fore-sight.

For

this

reason

the

Armourer

or

other

qualified

person should

be

present

when

grouping

is

being

carried

out.



APPENDIX

C

4.

If a man's

shots

are

widely

scattered,

it

will

be

necessary

to

carry

out

the

Analysis

of

faults,

i.e.

:

R.

Test

Rifle.

A.

Test

Aim.

T. Test

Trigger-pressing.

S.

Test

Sight.

You should

by

this

time have

discovered

the

fault,

but remember

it

is

of

no use

having

found

it

unless

you

can

cure it

before

proceeding

further.

5.

If

the

rifle

be

correct

the

point

of Mean

Impact

should

be

5

inches

above

the

point

of

Aim.

If incorrect

the

fore-sight

should

be

altered.

The

following

can

be

got

on

indent

for

this

purpose.

Cramp

R.S.L.M.E.

Supply

of

fore-sights

in

nine

different

heights.

RANGE PRACTICES

I

Nothing

definite

can

be

laid

down

on account

of

the

lack

of

uniform

targets,

ranges,

etc.,

but

the

following

hints

may

be of value

:

I. If

a liaison be

cultivated

between

Battalion

Sniping

officers

in

the

Brigade,

it

will

be

easy

to

improvise

a

Range

and

Target

for

the use

of

the

Battalion

in

rest.

229



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

2. When

in

divisional

rest it is

usually

possible

to find

a

Range

ready

for

use

in

the

Training

Area.

3.

Excellent work

and

all

Zeroing

can

be

done

on even

a

3<D-yard

range

by

the

really

keen

officer.

4.

Training

in

shooting

should

be carried

out

with

an

Open

and not a

Telescopic

sighted

rifle,

which

should

be

kept

for

:

(a)

Snapping

Practice.

(b)

Shooting

in

order to

Zero.

(c)

Killing

the

enemy.

It is

important

that the

barrels

of

these rifles

should

not

be worn out

in

practice

shooting.

5.

All

training

should

be made

progressive

and

where

possible

competitive.

6.

The

first

essential

is extreme

accuracy,

after

which the

Instructor must

coach

up

for

rapid

snapshooting,

the

ultimate

standard

being

looked

upon

as

the

ability

to

get

off

a

really

good

shot

under

two seconds.

7.

Always

start

with

a

Grouping

Practice

and

eliminate

faults

as

they

are discovered.

8.

Re

zero

Telescopic

sighted

rifles

:

to

ascer-

tain

that

they

have maintained

their

correctness

each time

you

are

out

of

the

trenches,

and

arm

only

your

best shots

with

these

rifles.

9.

Improvise

cover

on

the

Range

and

make

230



APPENDIX

C

all

Snipers'

fire

practices

under

as

near

as

possible

Service

Conditions.

10.

Although normally

he

will not fire

Rapid,

keep

your

sniper

efficient in

this

valuable art.

11.

You

may

at

any

time become

a

casualty,

therefore

train

your

N.C.O.'s

to

carry

on

in

your

absence.



PART

II

PATROLLING

AND

SCOUTING

PATROLS AND

PATROLLING

:

The

importance

of

patrolling

cannot

be

exag-

gerated.

It is

a

means

of

keeping

in

touch with

the

enemy

and

of

obtaining

much valuable

information.

In

open

warfare

we

must

patrol

day

and

night.

In trench

warfare,

observation

to

a

great

extent

does

away

with

patrolling

by

day.

We

should

always

look

upon

the

ground

between

the

hostile

armies

as

being

ours,

and should make

it

so

by

patrols.

This

gives

our

men a

greater

sense

of

security,

and also

has the

effect

of

destroying

the

enemy

moral.

Patrolling

is looked

upon by

some as

being

particularly

dangerous

work. This is

not so

if

patrols

are

carefully

carried

out

by

trained

men.

232



APPENDIX

C

Training

beforehand

is

essential

;

to

send out

untrained

men

in

a

haphazard

manner is

worse

than useless.

No

patrol

should

go

out

except

for a

distinct

and

definite

object.

TYPES OF PATROLS

IN

TRENCH WARFARE

RECONNAISSANCE

PATROLS

Are

the

work

of

scouts who

go

out on some

specific

mission.

Numbers should be

as

small

as

possible.

A

party

of two

or

three

will

pro-

bably

obtain the

best

results.

FIGHTING

PATROLS

Should

consist

of Lewis

gun

and

gunners,

bombers

and scouts.

Strength

1015.

Object

to

disperse

enemy

working

parties,

to

engage

enemy

patrols,

to

obtain

identifications.

Note

:

It

may

often

be

necessary

to com-

bine

these

patrols

;

the

Fighting

Patrol

going

out

to

form

a

screen

in

rear,

while

the

Reconnaissance

Patrol

pushes

forward

to

complete

its

task.

This

has

the effect

of

giving

the

Reconnaissance

Patrol

con-

fidence,

of

assisting

them

to

pass

back

any

casualties

they

may

suffer,

and,

in

fact,

provides

them with

an

Advanced

233



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Headquarters

from

which

they

carry

out

their

reconnaissance.

The

system

is

par-

ticularly

useful,

and,

in

fact,

necessary,

where

a

great

distance

separates

the

oppos-

ing

lines.

PROTECTIVE PATROLS

Should

consist

mainly

of

Bombers, and

are

used

in

front

of our

wire,

or

between Isolated

Posts.

Numbers

depend

on

circumstances. Ob-

ject

:

Protection

of

our

line

from

surprise

attacks.

OPEN

WARFARE

It

is not

necessary

here

to

classify

definitely.

The

Reconnoitring

Patrol should

always

be

prepared

to

fight.

In

fact,

all

Patrols,

at

all

times,

should

be

fully

organized

self-contained

fighting

units.

Numbers

depend

on

conditions,

but

Scouts

will

be

largely

used.

TRAINING

:

The

general

principles

of

training

both

for

Trench and

Open

Warfare are

a

thorough

training

in

the

following

:

1.

Map

Reading.

2.

Compass

Work.

3.

Reports.

234



APPENDIX

C

4.

Use

of Ground

and

Cover.

5.

Reconnoitring

through

Periscopes

and

by

means

of

Aeroplane

Photographs

and

Maps by day,

the

ground

over

which

patrol

must

pass

at

night,

and

selecting

the

best method

of

approach.

6. Actual

Patrolling

by

day

and

night.

7.

Keeping

touch.

FORMATIONS

:

Nothing

definite can

be

laid

down,

as,

of

necessity,

formations

will

vary

with

the

pre-

vailing

conditions.

It is

essential,

however,

that

all formations shall

be so

simple

as

to

ensure

that

they

can

be maintained

even

on

the darkest

night

and

when

working

over

very

rough

ground.

The

Lewis

gun,

when

it

forms

a

part

of

a

Patrol,

must

be

well

protected

and in

such a

position

as

will enable

it to be

used

at

a

moment's

notice.

The

Officer

or

N.C.O.

in

charge

should

always

lead the

Patrol,

and

there should

be a

Second-

in-Command,

whose

position

should

be

in

the

centre and rear

of

the

Patrol

;

he

will

specialize

in

keeping

the

men

in

their

proper

places

and

maintaining

touch.

235



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

EQUIPMENT

:

The

rifle

often

hampers

movement,

particu-

larly

when

crawling,

but it

is

essential that both

this and

fighting

order

be

carried when

patrolling

in

open

warfare. In

trench

warfare

it

should

usually

be

sufficient

to

carry

the

rifle,

a bandolier

of

S.A.A.,

the web

belt

with

bayonet

and

scabbard

attached,

a

bomb

in

the

pocket

and a

compass.

Steel

helmets

should

not

be

taken,

the

cap-comforter

being

worn instead.

If

necessary

to

fix

the

bayonet,

such as

when

rushing

an

Isolated Post,

it

should

be

fixed

with

the

scabbard still

on

;

both

bayonet

and scabbard

should

be

well

oiled

;

the

scabbard

can then

be

taken

off

quietly

just

prior

to the rush.

INSTRUCTIONS

TO

BE

GIVEN

I

Before

going

out

personnel

should

be

given

:

1.

All

known

information

;

2. An

opportunity

to

examine

by

day

through

periscope,

by

aeroplane

photographs

and

maps,

the

ground

to

be covered at

night.

3.

The

object

of

the

patrol.

4.

The

pass-word.

Everything

that

is

liable

to

give

information

236



APPENDIX

C

or

identification,

if

captured,

must

be

carefully

collected before the

party

goes

out.

All men

in

the Garrison

and

battalions

on

right

and

left

must

know when

the

patrol

is

out,

and

also

the

pass-word.

The

patrol

leader,

both

on

leaving

and

return-

ing,

will

himself

pass

the

word

along

to

this

effect.

This

is

very important.

He cannot

forecast

how

long

he

will

be

away,

or the

point

at

which

he

will

return,

therefore,

the

trench

garrison

must be

prepared

to receive

him

at

any

time

or

place.

GENERAL

I

Patrols often

give

themselves

away

by

leaving

their own

trench

in

a

careless

manner.

The

firing

of

rifles

and

lights

should

continue

as

usual

when

a

patrol

is

out,

but

in

such

a

manner

as

not to

interfere

with

the

patrol.

Two

patrols

should

never

be

sent

out

on

the

same

front

at

the same

time,

as

this

only

leads

to their

mistak-

ing

each

other

for

the

enemy.

Often,

the

most

suitable

time

for

patrolling

is

when

the

weather

conditions

are

very

bad.

In

addition

to

taking

precautions

against

Verey

lights,

men

on

patrol

can

often

take

advantage

of

their

brightness

to

obtain

the

information

required.

237



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

A

FORM

OF

PATROL REPORT

:

PATROL

REPORT

Blankshire

Regiment.

Night

of

2-i3th/6/i7.

Ref.

Map

Sheet

54

S.E.I.

Composi-

tion.



PART

III

THE

STALKING

TELESCOPE

Apart

from

the

regular

issue

of

G.

S.

Tele-

scopes,

there

are

now

in

the

B.E.F. about

40,000

or

50,000

more or less

high-class

telescopes.

These

have been obtained from

all

kinds

of

sources,

from

deer-stalkers,

yachtsmen,

etc.,

and

the

care

and

use

of

these

glasses

has

become

a

matter

of

great importance.

CARE

AND

CLEANING

I

The first

thing

to

remember

is that

the

lenses

of

all

telescopes are

made

of

very

soft

glass,

and

that

this

glass

is

polished

to

a

very

high

degree.

A

few scratches

on

the outer

surface of

the

object-

glass

will

negative

the

value

of

the

best

telescope.

When

the

telescope

is first taken

from its

case,

a

light

film

of

dust

will

usually

be

found

to

have

formed

on the

object-glass.

This should

be



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

flicked

off

with a

handkerchief,

and

if

any

polish-

ing

is

necessary,

it

should

be

done with

a

piece

of

chamois

leather or well-washed

piece

of four-

by-two

;

this

cleaning

material

should

be free

from

grit,

and

should be carried

in

a

pocket

or

in the

pay-book,

where it will

be

kept

clean.

Over

50

per

cent,

of

the

telescopes

in

use,

in

or

about the

front

line,

have been

scratched

more

or

less

badly,

owing

to the

neglect

of this

simple

precaution.

Special

attention

should

be

paid

to the

clean-

ing

of

the

objective

lens,

which is

liable

to

become

covered

with

dust

owing

to its

position

in the

telescope

and

the

opening

and

closing

of

the

draws.

Never

on

any

account

touch

the

glass

with

the

finger

or

thumb.

If

the

glass

be

allowed

to

get

damp,

fogging

will

result.

To

cause

the

fogging

to

evaporate,

remove

object-glass

and

eye-piece,

lay

the

telescope

out

in

the sun

or

in

a

warm

room.

Never

permit

the

metal

work

to

get

hotter

than

the

temperature

of

your

hand,

otherwise,

the

Canada

Balsam

(which

is

used

to

join

the concave

and convex

lenses

in

the

object-

glass

of all

high

telescopes,

except

the

G.S.)

will

melt.

If

the

draws

get

wet,

they

must

be

thoroughly

dried

and

slightly

lubricated.

The

same

applies

to the sun-shade.

When

an

officer



APPENDIX

C

is

inspecting telescopes,

he should

inspect

the

cases

also.

In

screwing

tubes

or

cells

into

place,

great

care

must

be

taken not to

damage

the

threads.

It

is

often

as well

to

turn

the screw

the

wrong way

with

a

gentle

pressure

;

the

threads

will

then

come

into correct

engagement,

and

a

slight

click

may

be

heard.

THE

GENERAL

SERVICE TELESCOPE

As

has been

stated

above,

Canada

Balsam

is

not

used

between

the

lenses of

the

object-glass

of

the

G.

S.

telescope.

When

a

G.

S.

Telescope

has

been

taken

to

pieces,

the

only

difficulty

experienced

in

assembling

it

again

will

be

in

the

replacing

of

the lenses

forming

the

object-glass.

To

do

this

two

rules

must

be

remembered

:

1.

The

convex

lens is

always

the

nearest

to the

object,

and,

therefore,

must be

replaced

first.

2.

On

the

side of

the

lenses

forming

the

object-glass

an

arrow-head

will

be

found

cut

into

the

glass.

Before

the lenses are

put

back the arrow-

head

must

be

completed,

and the

middle

of

the

arrow

must

be

allowed

to

slide

over

the

barb

or raised

line

in

the cell.



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

RULES

FOR

USE

:

1.

Always

extend

your

sun-shade

(more

O.P.'s

have

been

given

away

by

the

light

shining

upon

the

object-glass

of

telescopes

than

in

any

other

way).

2.

Always

mark

your

focus

by

scratching

a

circular

ring

on

the

focussing

draw.

(This

will

allow

you

to

focus

your

glass

correctly

and

quickly

before

putting

it

to

your

eye.)

3.

Always

pull

out

or

push

in

the

draws

of

your

telescope

with

a

clock-wise

circular

motion,

and

keep

them

slightly

lubri-

cated.

4.

Always carry your

telescope

slung

on

your

body.

If

you

take it

off

and

let

it

travel

in

a

lorry

or

car

the

jolting

will

almost

certainly

ruin

it.

5.

Always

use a rest when

observing.

6.

When

looking

into the

sun,

make a

sun-

shade

nine

inches or

a

foot

long,

to

fit

on

the

short

sun-shade

of

the

telescope.

This will

give

you

great

assistance

when

the sun

is over the

German lines.

It is

a

trick

borrowed

from

the

chamois-hunters

of

the

Pyrenees.

7.

Remember

that

when

there

is

a

mirage

you

will

get

better results

with a

low than



APPENDIX

C

with

a

high

power

of

magnification.

Conditions

in

France

are

more

suitable

to

a

magnification

of under

than

over

twenty-five.

Excellent

work

can

be

done

in

the

front

line with

a

glass

that

magnifies

only

ten

times.

If the

high-power

eye-

piece

is

used

for

any special

purpose

when

reconnaissance

is

finished,

it

should

be

replaced

by

a

low-power

eye-piece.

8..

When

searching

a

given

sector

of

ground

or

trench

divide

it into

fields

of

view

work

slowly

allowing

each

field

to

over-

lap.

Never

leave

any

suspicious-looking

object

without

having

ascertained

what

it is

and

why

it is there.

9.

Slight

movement

is

more

easily

detected

if

you

do

not

look

straight

at

the

object.

Always

look

a

little

left,

right,

high

or low.

Keenest vision

is at

the

edges

of

the

eye.,

This

particularly

applies

to

dusk

or

dawn.

10. When

your

object

is

found,

consider :

(a)

Distance.

(b)

Shape.

(c)

Colour.

(d)

Size.

(e)

Position.

Use

each

detail

to

check

other

details

;



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

for

instance,

if

you

can

distinguish

the

state

cockade

upon

a

German

cap

you

may-

be

certain that

you

are

not

more

than

two

hundred

yards

distant.

11.

Do

not

forget

that

good

results can be

obtained

on clear

starlight

or

moonlight

nights,

by

the

use

of

night-glasses

or

telescopes, especially

if

working

in con-

junction

with

a

Lewis

or

Vickers

Gun.

Generally

speaking,

the

bigger

the

object-

glass

and

the

lower the

magnification

the

better

will

be

the

results

obtainable

at

night.

12.

In trench

warfare

a

really

good glass-man

working

from

our

front line

by day

can

make

a

most

valuable

wire

reconnais-

sance.

13.

Remember

that the

conditions of

visibility

are

constantly

changing

;

an

object

which

is

indistinct at eleven o'clock

may

become

quite

clear

at

eleven-five.

14.

Always

be

ready

to

avail

yourself

of

natural

conditions.

The

visibility

after

a rain-

shower

is almost

always

good

;

it

shows

up

wire

and

gaps

in the

wire,

paths,

ground

traversed

by

patrols,

etc.

The

best

season

for

spotting

O.P.'s

is

autumn,

when the leaves fall

and the

grass

withers.



APPENDIX

C

15.

It

is

a

good

thing

to

disguise

the whole

of

the

telescope

by

use

of

sand-bags

or

other

material

around

it. Great

care

must

be taken

to ascertain

that

such

disguise

is

kept

free

from dust

or

grit.



PART IV

FRONT

LINE

OBSERVATION AND REPORTS

Remember

that

straws show which

way

the wind

blows,

and

that

apparently

trivial

information

may

be

of

great

importance

if

considered

in

correct

per-

spective.

For

instance,

three

small

parties

of

Germans

seen in

front

of

a

battalion

sector is not an

item

of

much

interest,

but

if

such

parties

are

seen

by

all

or

most

of

the

observers

on

a

divisional

front,

enemy

movement of

importance

is

indicated,

so include

every-

thing

observed which

is

of

the

slightest

importance.

Remember

that

your report passes

through

the

hands

of

the

Battalion

Intelligence

Officer,

and

by

him

the

information

it

contains

is

passed

on to

Brigade,

thence

to

Division,

and so

on.

During

the

whole of this

process,

the

information is

weighed,

sifted,

and

compared

over

and

over

again.

Hence,

that which

really

proves

to

be

of no

importance

will

be

eliminated,

while

that

which is

of

value will

reach

those

to whom

it

may

be

of

use.

Remember

that

you

are

in

close toucfr with

the

246



APPENDIX

C

enemy,

and

that

you,

and

you only,

are

responsible

for

the

observation

of

his

forward

area.

You

must

not

rely

upon

the

Divisional or

Corps

Observers

to

do

this work for

you.

When

taking

over

a

post

for the

first

time

you

must

study

the

ground

carefully

and

get

to

know

the

exact

location

of

all

prominent

objects.

Then,

in a

few

days'

time,

you

will

be

capable

of

giving

map

locations

of

targets

without

bearings.

It is

of

little

or

no use

to look for

movement

until

you

know

your

front

by

heart,

the

GOOD

observer

is

the

man

who

can

almost

see

the

co-ordinates

lying

on

the

ground.

In this

way

some

of

the

Lovat

Scouts

can

give

the

map

references

of a

moving object

as it

moves,

without

a

glance

at

the

map.

The

best

times

of

the

day

for

you,

as

a

front-line

observer,

are

dawn

and

dusk.

Ration

parties,

working

parties,

reliefs,

etc.,

are all

waiting

to

move

forward

at

dusk,

and much

good

work

can

be

done

by

picking

up

these

targets

and

reporting

them to the

Artillery.

The

same

or

similar

parties

can

often be

seen

returning

at

dawn,

particularly

after

a

night

during

which

our

harassing

fire

has been

heavy.

Again,

a

misty day

although

the

definition

ob-

tained

through your

telescope

is

not

so

clear

as

usual

is

often

excellent

for

observation

of

the

enemy's

front-

line

system,

as,

on

such

days,

through

a

false

sense

of

security,

trie

enemy

often

shows himself

in

concealed



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

posts,

etc.,

which

he

would

never

give

away

by

care-

lessness

during

clearer

weather.

Always

note

time

(signal time)

and

map

co-ordi-

nates

of

anything

observed.

If

anything

of

importance

be

seen,

such

as

abnormal

movement,

suspected

reliefs,

etc.,

report

them

at

once.

Don't

wait

until

you

come

off

duty.

All

targets

should

be

reported

as soon as

possible

to

the

Artillery.

If

there are

any Artillery

O.P.'s

in

your vicinity,

they

should be

visited,

as

the

occupants

can often

assist

you

by

placing

objects,

the

exact

location

of

which

you yourself

are

doubtful

about.

The Ar-

tillery

Observers

should be shown

all

tracks

where

movement

has been observed to

enable

them to

get

a

gun

trained

on

to them.

All

new

enemy

work

must

be

followed

closely

and

its

object,

if

possible,

ascertained.

Take

a

pride

in

extreme

accuracy,

let a

direct

statement

represent

fact,

but

do

not hesitate to

include

information

of

which

you

are not

quite

certain.

You

must,

however,

never

fail

to

indicate

clearly

the

degree

of

accuracy

or

certainty

which

you

yourself

feel.

Useful

words for

qualifying

your

statements

are

as

follows

:

Possibly

;

About

;

Probably

;

Approximately,

etc.,

etc.



APPENDIX

C

Remember that

your

duty

is

rather

to observe

and

report your

observations

than

to

interpret

what you

see.

At

the

same

time,

give

personal

impressions.

These

may

start

a

new

line

of

thought

in

the

minds

of

those

who read

your

reports

;

also,

if

two

or

three

ob-

servers,

from

different

points,

think

that

they

have

seen

a

certain

thing,

then

there

is

at

least

a

strong

probability

that

a

foundation

existed

for their

belief.

Realize

that

your

observation

is

part

of

a

huge

net

which

is

continually

trawling

the

whole

enemy

world

for

information,

and see

to

it that

not

even the

smallest

fry

slip

through

the

meshes

for

which

you

are

per-

sonally

responsible.

For

purposes

of actual

observation

a

rough

log-

book

must

be

kept

in

the

sniping

or

observation

post.

In this book

everything

seen

should

be noted

as

it

occurs.

From

it

each

evening

the

information

must

be set out

under

suitable

headings,

and

your

report

rendered

to

the

Battalion

Intelligence

Officer.

Cus-

toms

vary

in

battalions,

but

the

following

list

of

headings

may

help

you

in this

matter

:

OPERATIONS,

ENEMY :

*

No.

and

Calibre

of

projectiles

2.

1

.M.

s. Y

d

f

3.

Grenades

J

4.

A.A.

Guns

.

.

Activity.

5-

M-

G

-

Fire)

Methods

and

Targets.

6.

Rifle

Fire

j



SNIPING

IN FRANCE

MOVEMENT,

ENEMY

I

1.

Aircraft.

2.

Trains.

3.

Transport.

4.

Men

actually

seen.

5.

Indication of

movement

(periscopes,

loop-

holes,

etc.).

6.

Patrols.

(Seen,

heard

or

encountered.)

(Note

:

Time

and

place

must

always

be

given.)

BATTALION

INTELLIGENCE

REPORT

TO BRIGADE

:

The

subject

matter

forming

this falls

naturally

under

the

following

main

headings

:

1.

Operations.

(Enemy.)

2.

Movement.

3.

Work.

4.

Signals.

5.

General

Intelligence.

6.

Weather.

Under

these

six

main

headings

are

the

follow-

ing

sub-headings

:

WORK,

ENEMY

I

(a)

Changes

visible

in

enemy

line.



APPENDIX

C

(b) Working

parties

seen

or

heard.

(c)

New

wire

observed

or

reported

by

patrols.

SIGNALS,

ENEMY

I

(a)

Flash

lamps. }

^

,,

,

.

.

,

,

/L\

\7

r i:

rull

description

of

and

any

(b) Verey

lights.

>

7

)

v

'

T>

1

apparent

results.

(c)

Rockets.

J

GENERAL INTELLIGENCE

:

Information

of

a

doubtful

or

uncertain

nature,

general

impressions,

etc.

WEATHER

:

(a)

General conditions.

(b)

Light

and

visibility

during

the

day.

(c)

Wind,

its

strength

and

direction.

In

some

Brigades,

reports

on

our

own

operations,

particularly

observation

of our

own

Artillery

and

T.M.

fire

are

required

in

the

Battalion

Intelligence

Reports,

but

this

is a mistaken

policy.

A

FORM

OF

OBSERVATION

REPORT.

OBSERVATION

REPORT

No.

of Post

(Map

Ref.)

:

Teapot

Post

N33C55.90

Sheet

i;A

N.E.

Time

on

Duty

:

7

a.m.

to

10 a.m.

Date

:

20.6.18.



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

Observers

on

Duty,

Name,

Rank

and

Regt,

H.

Smith

Pte.

G.

Shaw

,

L/Cpl.

Wind:

Gentle S.W.

Visibility

:

Fair.

Time.



PART V

SOME

USES

OF

SCOUTS,

OBSERVERS

AND

SNIPERS

IN

ATTACK,

DEFENCE AND

OPEN

WAREFARE

It

is

difficult to

lay

down

any

hard

and

fast rules

on

this

subject,

as

so

much

depends upon

the

prevailing

conditions.

The

following

notes

should therefore

be

looked

upon

as

tentative hints or

suggestions.

To

commence,

it

is

well to

remember

that these

men,

in addition

to

being

fully-trained

soldiers,

have

received

specialist

training

in such

subjects

as

map-

reading, obtaining

and

reporting

information,

scout-

ing,

accurate

shooting,

etc.,

therefore

their value

to

the

Company

Commander,

whether

in

Attack

or

Defence,

in

trench

warfare

or in

open

warfare,

has

been

enhanced,

and

he

should

keep

this in

mind

when

making

his

dispositions.

Prior

to

attack

on

any

given objective,

the

Scouts

and

Observers

can

obtain much

valuable

information

;

in

fact,

the

actual

plans

for local

attack

will

often

depend

upon

the

information

so

obtained.



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

The

following

are some

of

the

points

that should

be

ascertained

either

by

direct

observation

or

patrolling

or

both

:

1.

Location

of

enemy

M.G.'s and

strong

points.

2. Whether

the

enemy

is

holding

his line

con-

tinuously

or

by

isolated

posts

;

if

the

latter,

the location of

each

post

should,

if

possible,

be ascertained.

3.

If

our

wire-cutting

operations

have

been

successful,

and

the

location

and

width

of

the

gaps.

Vigorous patrolling

should take

place

for

some

time

prior

to

attack,

to

ensure

that

the

enemy

is

driven

out

of

No Man's

Land,

thus

enabling

us to

jump

off

from

a

point

as

near

as

possible to

the

enemy

line.

The

Snipers

can,

by

making

each

enemy

periscope

and

loophole

a

target,

render

the

enemy

to

a

great

extent

blind

in

Front

Line

Observation.

Before the

actual

assault

has

commenced,

our

snipers

can be

established

in

shell

holes

in

No

Man's

Land

from

which

they

can

command

any

known

machine-gun

emplacements.

They

should

always

carry

a few

rounds

of

armour-piercing

S.A.A.,

and should

look

upon

the

breech

casing

of the

gun

as

their

target

rather

than

the

gunners.

(Your

good

sniper

will

appreciate

the

fact

that one

hit

on the

breech-casing

of

a

machine-



APPENDIX

C

gun

with

armour-piercing

S.A.A.

will

definitely

put

the

gun

out

of

action,

as

it

ruins

the

vital

portion,

i.e.,

the

recoiling portion

of

the

gun.)

After

the

objective

has

been

gained,

the

snipers

should

push

forward

beyond

our new line and establish

themselves

in shell holes or

in

old

trenches. From

these

positions

their

fire

will

be

of

great

value

in

con-

junction

with the

Lewis

gunners

in

keeping

down

the

enemy during

consolidation.

The

Scouts

should

be able

to

fill

in

the

dispositions

of

the

troops

and

maintain

touch with

flanking

units

;

they

should

form

part

of

exploiting patrols,

locate

the

enemy's

new

positions

and

ascertain

their

attitude,

i.e.,

whether

they

are

demoralized and

retiring

in disorder

or

whether

they

are under control

and

likely

to

counter-

attack.

The

Observers

must

be

in

a

position

from which

they

can

watch

the whole

of

the

attack,

and

must

be

pro-

vided with a

means of

communication

whereby

they

can

constantly

report

upon

the

situation.

After

the

objective

has been

gained

they

can

push

forward

and

locate

enemy

machine-guns

and

battery

positions

;

this

will

be

comparatively easy

as,

if

the

enemy

is

put-

ting

up

a

fight,

machine-guns,

etc.,

will

be

advertising

themselves.

The

Brigade

and

Divisional

Observers

will

also be

in

positions

from

which

they

can

follow

the

whole

of

the

attack,

and

will

constantly

report

its

progress.



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

They

should

particularly

watch

for

any

massing

of

enemy

troops

in

the

back

areas for

counter-attack.

IN

DEFENCE

:

The

Snipers

can

be

of

great

value

in

defence,

and

should be

given

a

definite

battle

station.

If

the

attack

be

delivered

in

daylight,

the

snipers'

special

task

should

be

to

pick

off

the

leaders,

and

members

of

machine-gun

and

jlamenwerjer

detachments.

If

the

enemy

succeed

in

occupying

our

trenches

the

snipers

must have

in

readiness

alternative

posts

that

command

stretches

of

our

trenches

;

they

will

thus be in a

position

to

inflict

heavy

losses

upon

the

new

occupants.

In this

way

and

by

working

in

conjunction

with

Bombers,

they

can

do

much

to

prevent

the

enemy

from

establishing

himself.

The

Observers

can,

in

defence,

find

out

much

valuable

information,

and

the

good

observer

can

usually

foretell an

enemy

attack

by

carefully

watching

for

the

following

signs

of offensive

operation

:

1.

Construction

of

new

T.M.

emplacements.

2.

Registration

of

new

T.M.'s.

3.

Increased

artillery

registration.

4.

Bridging

of

trenches.

5.

Cutting

of

wire.



APPENDIX

C

6.

Additional

dressing

stations

instituted.

7.

Signboards

erected.

8.

Unusual

amount

of

movement in

back

areas.

9.

Increased

aerial

activity.

10.

Reconnaissance

of

front

by enemy

officers.

OPEN

WARFARE

:

In

open

and

semi-open

warfare

it

is

essential

that

observers

push

forward from one

post

to

another.

They

must

keep

in

touch

with

the

attack,

with

flanking units

and

with

headquarters.

The

most

important

duties

of

scouts and

snipers

will be reconnaissance.

By

pushing

forward

as an

advanced

screen to

cover the

advance,

they

can

collect much

valuable information

and,

if

cor-

rectly

organized,

can

get

such

information

back

quickly

to the

officers whom

it

concerns.

The

following

are some

of

the

things

upon

which

they

should

report

:

1.

Where

the

enemy

are,

and

if

holding

a

continuous

line

or

isolated

posts.

2.

Condition

of

roads,

etc.

3.

Best

approaches

for

Infantry,

Machine-

guns, Artillery,

etc.

4.

Any

obstacles

such

as

rivers,

etc.,

and

the

best

means

of

negotiating

them.



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

5.

Places which

are

exposed

to

fire.

6.

Any

topographical

features

from

which

the

enemy

can

be commanded.

In

fact,

there

is no limit to

the

amount

of use-

ful

information

that scouts

and

snipers

can obtain.

They

can

also be

of

extreme

value

in

working

round

and

cutting

off

isolated

posts.

They

may

also

form

a

thin

but

effective

firing-line

that

can

delay

considerably

a small

counter-attack,

and

thus

enable

their

unit to

complete

the,

of

necessity,

hasty

preparations

for

holding

its

gains.

258



PART

VI

THE ENFIELD

1914

PATTERN

SNIPER'S

RIFLE

As

each

battalion now holds

three of

these rifles on

charge

for

sniping

purposes

(G.R.O.

3567)

it

is

essential

that

your

snipers

shall

understand

the

main

differences

between

this

and

the

R.S.M.L.E.

It is

as

well to

understand at once

that

a

far

higher

degree

of

accuracy

can

be

obtained

from

the

Enfield

1914 than

from

the

R.S.M.L.E.,

and

this

is

the

reason

why

it

has been issued

to

snipers.

The

higher degree

of

accuracy

is

due

to two

main

causes

:

1. The

rifles

so issued

have been

specially

selected

from

thousands

of

other

rifles

of

the same

pattern,

on

account

of

their

accuracy,

after

severe and exhaustive

tests.

2. The rifle

is fitted

with

an

aperture

or

peep

sight,

which,

as will be

readily

acknowledged by

most

expert

riflemen,

possesses

a

great

advantage

over

the

open

U

or

V

backsight.

It

is

therefore

unnecessary

to

focus

the

backsight,

and

the

blur



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

which

is

unavoidable when

aiming

with

the

open

U

or

V

backsight

is

entirely

absent

with

the

aperture

or

peep

sight.

The

following

are the

main

differences

which

must

be noted

and

thoroughly

understood

in order

to

get

the

best results from

the

new

rifle.

THE

SIGHT

The

rear

of

the

body

is

made in

the form of

a

bed

in which

the

sight

should

always

lie

when

not

in use. In this

position

the

aperture

battle

sight

can

be

used

if

desired,

but

it

should

seldom

be

necessary

for the

sniper

to

use

this

sight.

The

battle

sight

is

actually

sighted

to

hit

on

the

aiming

mark

at

about

400

yards'

range.

The

sight

leaf is

hinged

on

to the

sight

bed

and

is

raised

to

an

angle

of

about

90

from

the

sight

bed

for

use.

There are

in all

four

positions

in

which

it

will

rest.

(See

diagram

I.)

1.

At an

angle

of

about

45

from the

sight

bed

;

this

is

the

most

convenient

posi-

tion

for

sight

setting.

2.

At

an

angle

of

about

90;

this is

the

posi-

tion

when

in

use.

3.

At

an

angle

of

about

135.

4.

At

an

angle

of

about

180.

The two

last

positions

have

been

made



APPENDIX

C

possible

so

as

to avoid

damaging

the

sight

by

accidentally

knocking

it, if

raised

against

undergrowth,

etc.,

when

skirmishing.

Note: The

bolt

lever

must

not

be

raised

and

drawn

back

when the

sight

is in

No.

4

position,

as

if

this

is

done the

battle

sight

is sheared off.

ELEVATION

The

elevation

is

obtained

by

raising

a

slide

on

the

leaf. This

slide

carries

the

aperture,

and,

when

set,

is held

in

position

by

a

spring-catch

adjustment

on the

right

of the leaf.

The leaf is

graduated

from 200 to

iioo

yards

in

hundreds

of

yards,

and

from

1

100

to

1650

yards

in

fifties.

The

reading

line is

situated

in

the

centre

of

the

slide,



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

and care must be

taken

to

point

out

this fact

clearly,

otherwise

men are

apt

to

take

readings

from

the

top

or

bottom of the

slide.

FINE

ADJUSTMENT

The

sight

is

fitted

with

a

fine

adjustment

in

the

form

of

a

worm

screw with

a

milled

head.

By

rotating

the milled

head

clockwise we raise

the

elevation,

and

by

turning

it

anti-clockwise

we

lower

it. The

top

of

the

milled

head

is

marked

off

into

three

divisions,

each

of

which is

equivalent

to one

minute

of

angle,

which

is

about

i

per

100

yards

of the

range.

Thus

at 100

yards

it

would

equal

i

rise,

or

fall,

on

the

target

;

at

200

yards

2

;

at

300

yards

3 ,

and

so

on. A

reading

line

is

marked

on

the

top

of the

sight

leaf

to enable

these

minute

adjustments

to be

made.

(See

diagram.)

The

advantage

of

a

fine

adjustment

screw

on

this

principle

lies in

the fact

that,

without

alteration of

foresight,

the

rifle

can be

zeroed

with

exactness in

a

vertical

sense,

for

any

in-

dividual

hold,

thus

:

If

a

man,

when

zeroing

his rifle

at

100

yards'

range,

finds

the

point

of

mean

impact

to

be

3

inches

low,

or

high,

he

has

only

to

remember

that he

must

first

reproduce

on

his

backsight

the

range

for

which

he is

firing,

and

then

add,

or

subtract,

3

minutes

of

eleva-

tion,

i.e.,

by

giving

the

milled head

one

com-

262



APPENDIX

C

plete

turn

or

revolution

in the

required

direc-

tion

;

he will

then

have

his

correct

zero

for

that

particular

range.

(Note

:

Before

starting

to

zero

at 100

yards,

he

must

raise

the

sight

to

200

yards,

and

then

take off

3

minutes

;

this

is

equivalent

to

setting

his

sight

to 100

yards

(which

is not

marked).

With

the

sight

so

set,

the

point

of

mean

impact

should

be

li

inches

to

2

inches

above the

point

of

aim.)

In addition the

fine

adjustment

can

be used

to

overcome

the

difficulty

of not

having

the

sight

calibrated to read to

fifties at

the

closer

ranges.

By memorizing

the

following

table,

the

sniper

will

have

no

difficulty

in

adjusting

his

sight

to

250, 350,

450

yards,

and so

on

:

To raise from To Add to

Column

I.

200

yards

250

yards

I

minute

300 350

if

minutes

400

450

2

5

55

2

*

600

650

3

The

table

has not

been

taken

further,

as

600

yards

is

the

limit

of

individual

effort.

LATERAL

ZERO

If

there

should

be

a

lateral

error

when

zeroing,

the

foresight

should

be

moved

as

in

the

263



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

R.S.M.L.E.,

except

that the

cramp

is

made

to

fit over

and

through

the

foresight

protectors,

and,

as

there is

no

nose-cap

to

remove,

it

is

a

simpler

operation.

AIM,

HOW

TAKEN

Diagram

2

will

illustrate

far

better

than

a

line.

Sights-.

3

-

Enfwid 9 VR$e.

word

picture

how

aim

should

be

taken.

The

main

thing

is to look

through

the

aperture,

and

not

at

it.

The

foresight

will

be

centred in

the

aperture,

and

the

tip

of

it

placed

at 6

o'clock

in the

ordinary

way.

(Note

:

It

will

be

found

that

with

very

little

practice

the

eye

will

in-

stinctively

centre

the

foresight,

and

that

aim-

264



APPENDIX

C

ing,

with

this

sight,

will

in

reality

simply

be

the

action

of

holding

the

tip

of

the

foresight

on

to

6

o'clock.)

THE

MAGAZINE

The

magazine

holds

five

rounds

only,

and

is

constructed

in

such

a

manner

as

to

permit

the

magazine

platform

to rise

and

engage

the

face

of

the

bolt-head

when

the

magazine

is

empty.

This

advertises

the fact

that

re-loading

is

necessary.

At

the

same

time,

it

prevents

giving

practice

in

rapid

manipulation

of

the

bolt,

unless the

Depressors

magazine platform,

or

a

coin such as

a

franc

(which

will

serve

the

same

purpose)

be

used

to hold

down

the

platform,

thus

enabling

the bolt

to

pass

freely

through

the

bolt-way

when

the

magazine

is

empty.

It

is of

simple

construction,

consisting

of

three

parts

only

:

the

platform,

the

spring

and

the

bottom

plate.

To

remove

:

press

the-

point

of

a

bullet

into

the

hole

that

will

be

found

in

the

bottom

plate,

in front

of

the

trigger

guard,

then

push

downwards

and

in

the

direction

of

the

trigger;

this releases

the

spring

and

allows

the

magazine

to be removed

and

cleaned.

To

replace

:

reverse

the

above

process.

Care

must

be

taken

when

loading

to

ensure

that

the

charger

265



SNIPING

IN

FRANCE

is

placed vertically

in

the

charger guide

;

if

allowed

to

lean

forward the

first

cartridge

will

foul the

padding

of

the

magazine,

and

loading

will

become

difficult.

There is

little

possibility

of a

jam

if

the

bolt-

way,

the

breech and

the

magazine

are

kept

clean.

SAFETY

DEVICES

1.

The

Safety

Catch.

This

is

similar

to

the

R.S.M.L.E.,

but

is

on

the

opposite

side, *.*.,

the

right

side of

the

body.

If the

thumb

piece

is turned

over to

the

rear,

it

performs

two

actions.

(a)

Rotates the half-moon

on

the

eccentric

stem

until

it

engages

in the

recess in

the

cocking

piece,

thus

preventing

the

cocking

piece

from

going

forward

if

the

trigger

be

accidentally

pressed,

(b)

Pushes forward

the

locking

bolt

plunger

until it

is

engaged

in the

locking

bolt

recess

in

the

bolt

lever,

thus

preventing

the

rotation

of

the

bolt.

2.

Bolt

Lever.

This

when turned

down,

*'.*.,

when

the

breech

is

closed,

fits

into

a

recess

in

the

body

of

the

rifle,

and

ensures

that

the

bolt

cannot

be

blown

back,

even

should

the

resisting

lugs

give way.

3.

The

Safety

Stud.

This

is

in

direct

com-

munication

with

the

sear,

and

is

constructed

266



APPENDIX

C

in

such

a

manner as to

ensure

that the

sear

cannot

be

depressed

without

the

safety

stud

rising.

On

the under side of the

bolt is

a

recess,

which

comes

immediately

over

the

safety

stud

when

the

bolt lever

is turned

fully

down. It

is,

therefore,

impossible

to

press

the

trigger,

which

depresses

the

sear,

until

the

bolt

lever

is

fully

turned

down

and

the

action sealed.

GAS

ESCAPES

Of

these

there

are

three.

On the

right

of the

hood

;

on

the

under side of the

bolt,

one

in

front and

the

other

in

rear of

the ex-

tractor

ring.

They

perform

the

same

duties

as

the

gas

escapes

in

the

R.S.M.L.E.,

except

that

the one

in

front

of

the

extractor

ring pre-

vents

air-pockets

which

would

act as

brakes

from

forming.

PULL OFF

This is

slightly

different

to that

of

the

R.S.M.L.E.,

the

first

pull

being

from

2

to

3

Ibs.,

and

the

second

from

5

to

6

Ibs.

The

first

pull

is

comparatively long,

and it

is

necessary

to

obtain,

by

practice,

the

correct

trigger

squeeze

before

firing

the

rifle

for

the

first time.

CARE AND

CLEANING

In

order

to take

full

advantage

of

the

rifle,



SNIPING IN

FRANCE

it

is

essential

that

it be

kept

absolutely

clean

;

the

following

parts

should

receive

special

attention

:

The

Bore.

This

should

always

carry

a

high

polish.

The

Sights.

Must

be

kept

free

from

oil,

and

the

aperture

free

from fluff.

The

Hood.

Must

always

be

free

from

oil

and

dirt,

as

it contains

the recesses

in

which

the

resisting lugs

work,

and if

dirt

be

allowed

to

gather

there,

the

shock

of

discharge

cannot be

evenly

taken

on

both

sides,

and

accurate

shooting

under

these

conditions is

unattainable.

The

Breech.

Must

be

kept

clean and free

from

oil

by means

of

the

stick

which

is

provided

for

the

purpose.

The

Bolt.

Must

be

kept

free

from

oil,

and

must be

the

correct

one for the

rifle,

i.e.,

must

carry

the

same

number

as that

shown

on

the

hood

and on

the

sight

leaf.

Gas

escapes.

Must

be

kept

free from

oil

and

dirt.

GENERAL.

The

rifle is

issued

specially

as

a

sniping

rifle,

and

although

a

bayonet

is

issued

with

it,

it

should

268



APPENDIX

C

not

be used

for

bayonet

fighting

practice.

The

woodwork

of

the

rifle

must on no

account

be

cut

down,

and

as,

when

it

is

issued,

it

is

correctly

zeroed

to suit

one

man's

hold,

it should not

be

transferred

to

another

man without

re-zeroing

it to

suit

his

particular

hold.

THE

END



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THE CHAPEL RIVER

PRESS,

KINGSTON,

SURREY



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